


Cabin Fever

by Turntechgodliness (AmberzillaRex)



Series: The LSCS Chronicles [8]
Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Fake AH Crew, Gavin has PTSD, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-21
Updated: 2016-05-20
Packaged: 2018-05-22 11:23:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 38,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6077529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmberzillaRex/pseuds/Turntechgodliness
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Recovering from a kidnapping can be hard. After the events of Can't Cage Me In, the crew take a vacation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Here's to the beginning of the sequel to Can't Cage Me In! I hope you all enjoy it!

Sometimes, instead of running the city of Los Santos, the members of the Fake AH Crew found themselves vacationing in a little cabin in the middle of the woods just outside of the city. Geoff had owned the large plot of land for years, along with the surrounding wooded area, and made a habit of bringing the entire group out to it after large or stressful heists to have a little down time. They all enjoyed it, even Ray- who spent a large majority of each trip sleeping or playing his DS in the large hammock located on the front porch.

Jack enjoyed the calm serenity that nature provided, often losing himself in a good book in the garden that he tended to with Gavin and Ryan on occasion. Michael loved roaming the forest around them; often prompting Geoff or Jack to tease him about returning to nature and being a bear man in secret. Geoff loved to spend his time fishing, something that Ryan often accompanied him in; on the rare occasions that they could pull Michael and Gavin away from whatever they’d been doing to go with them, the day was spent in good humor and mild frustration at the lad’s inability to stay in the fishing mindset for long. Gavin spent his time flitting from one thing to the next, enjoying the relaxation that was so rarely found in their line of work.

 

“Will someone please go and get the bag of charcoal out of the car? I can’t start supper without it.” Currently, the crew had pulled into the cabin’s dirt driveway no more than two hours previously, spilling out of their vehicles and clambering inside after a particularly grueling heist. It had been successful in the lowest sense of the word; no one was dead, and they had obtained the money they were originally after, but not after some complications including Gavin being held hostage and Michael nearly blowing himself up on accident. They had crashed for a bit on arrival, and now all sat on the deck, watching Geoff as he set up the barbeque for their meal. Ray grumbled something but rolled out of his hammock, tucking his DS into his sweater pocket as he ambled towards the van they had arrived in. Returning a moment later with the bag of charcoal, he dropped it onto the ground next to the barbeque before returning to the deck, settling onto Jack’s lap with a soft groan.

 

“Moving is awful and you should be ashamed of yourself for making me do it, Geoff.” Jack chuckled, wrapping an arm around Ray’s waist as the younger man settled against him with a yawn, clearly still tired. Ryan, Michael and Gavin sat on the porch swing, Gavin stretched out over the others laps and napping as Ryan swung the swing slightly with his foot. “I hope you’re making steak and corn.” Geoff chuckled, holding up the packages of steak for Ray’s approval before starting to set up the grill.

 

“I’m a man of my word, Ray. I’m hurt you’d think otherwise.” He chuckled some as he lit the grill, beginning to prep the meat with spices as he turned his full attention to his work. Ray made a noise of contentment, too tired to fuss much as he watched the older man work, debating heavily on if he’d rather nap while their food was being made. Beside him, Gavin let out a noise and rolled some, a worried expression on his face as he continued to slumber, and Ray’s lips twitched towards a frown at the clear worry written on the other lads face. The British man had been held captive for nearly a week; no one knew what had happened to the hacker, though Gavin seemed to be acting normal since their rescue. Michael ran a hand through Gavin’s hair, watching him a moment before Gavin shifted to curl up, burying his face in Michael’s stomach with a whimper.

 

“You think he’s having a nightmare?” Ryan’s voice was quiet, drifting over them as he ran his hand along Gavin’s side gently, and Geoff turned to look at them a moment. 

 

“Do you blame him if he is? Kid’s not so good at talking about his shit, we’re going to have a time getting him back to okay I think. He can pretend all he wants that everything’s fine but he’ll break down eventually. Just let it happen. We’ll be there for him when he does.” It wouldn’t be the first time, and it wouldn’t be the last; in their line of work, no one missed out on nightmares.

 

“Fuck. We really need to step it up when it comes to keeping him from getting grabbed.” Michael’s voice was soft, unwilling to accidently wake up the sleeping man in his lap. Ryan hummed, and Geoff turned back to the lit grill.

 

“Hey, Geoff, why’d you have all that wood ordered to be delivered here?” Jack shifted to watch their leader as he asked his question, shifting Ray in his lap to be more comfortable. Geoff placed the steaks onto the grill, along with some tin foil wrapped corn cobs, and closed the lid.

 

“Well it was going to be a fucking surprise, asshole. But I guess since he’s still asleep it’s not a huge deal to tell you. I had a treehouse built for Gavin since he keeps fucking going on about them. Figure, he didn’t actually take his share of the last heist, and then this one...he deserves something right?” The conscious lads made sickly sweet ‘aw’ sounds, and Jack grinned at him.

 

“Aw, Geoffrey. Having a heart. Caring. How sweet.” Ryan’s tone was almost serious, and Geoff flipped him off before turning back to the grill. “Seriously, though, you spoil him, you know that right?” Geoff grunted, and Michael grinned at Ray across the deck.

 

“You know what that means don’t you Ray?” Ray smirked, leaning to waggle his fingers at the russet haired man, Michael shifting to press his fingertips against Ray’s.

 

“Free play at the treehouse for team Lads, what whaaaat!” Jack rolled his eyes, shifting enough for Ray to slide out of his lap and onto the floor with a loud thud. Gavin shot up from his spot, eyes wide and letting out a shout before falling to join Ray on the floor and causing Michael to curse, reaching down to help the two of them up before pulling Gavin back into his lap as the other man sat shivering, clearly still caught in whatever nightmare he’d been having.

 

“Shit, Gav. You’re alright. It’s alright.” Gavin curled up in his lap, clinging to the older man a moment while he calmed down. Ray stood awkwardly for a moment, before turning back to sit on the railing beside Jack, his legs kicking against the wood.

 

“Sorry, Vav. I didn’t mean to scare you awake.” Ray sounded like a downtrodden child, and after a moment Gavin flashed him a shaky smile, rubbing his eyes tiredly as he glanced around at the group.

 

“It’s alright X-ray. Just startled me is all. I’m alright! What did I miss?” Jack shot Ryan a look over the top of the lad’s heads, and Ryan shrugged a little, gesturing that they would talk later as Ray filled Gavin into the prior conversation. Gavin stretched a little with a small yawn, wiggling to make himself comfortable between Michael and Ryan as he turned his attention to Geoff, who was flipping the steaks. “Geoffrey, lovely Geoffrey, you’re going to cook mine well, aren’t you?” Geoff made a disgusted sound, waving the tongs in his hand in the air without turning his attention from the grill.

 

“Yes, you fucking disgusting excuse for a man, I will burn your fucking steak. Jesus Christ. It’s not like I don’t know how you assholes like your food, it’s not like any of you lazy ingrates cook. Shit.” Jack chuckled, moving to get out of his chair and making his way down the steps to hover over Geoff a moment before wrapping an arm around his waist and resting his chin on the older man’s shoulder.

 

“You know we appreciate all the cooking you do, Geoff. You’re just so good at it, and we’re all so bad…” Geoff gave a scoffing huff, but let Jack lean on him as he flipped two of the steaks.

 

“Yeah you’re bad alright, bad for my blood pressure.” Michael snorted, letting his arm curl around Gavin’s waist as Ryan moved to lean over the railing, wincing slightly at his still bruised ribs. He’d had a close encounter with a bat while they’d been making their way through the Corpirate’s warehouse, and while Jack had given him the all clear in regards to anything being broken, he was still sore.

 

“I think all that drinking you do is what’s bad for your blood pressure, Geoff. But Jack’s right, we appreciate everything you do.” Gavin made a disgruntled noise and shifted in his seat to nudge Ryan, making grabby hands in Geoff’s direction once the older man looked his way. “And I think that Gavin wants your attention, boss.” Geoff covered the grill, turning some to look at the British man, a small smile on his face as he placed the tongs on top of the grill hood and slipped out of Jack’s grip to make his way up the steps to squat in front of Gavin.

 

“What’s up, buddy?” Gavin pouted, reaching to pull Geoff’s face close as Michael and Ryan snickered beside him. Geoff raised a brow as Gavin pressed his forehead to the older man’s.

 

“I appreciate you so very much Geoffrey. I just. I appreciate you.” Geoff would have laughed if Gavin hadn’t sounded so serious, and he gave a soft smile as he reached up to cup the younger man’s face, brushing his thumb against his cheek lightly.

 

“I appreciate you too, Gavvers.” Gavin shook his head slightly, smiling a little and pressing a light kiss to Geoff’s lips before pulling away to curl up against Michael again. Michael wrapped his arm back around Gavin and leaned against him.

 

“Where’s my appreciation? I appreciate you all the time. I’m appreciating your face right now. Mmm, that’s a nice fuckin’ face you got there baby. Gimmie some sugar.” Gavin giggled, leaning to press his lips to Michaels in an exaggerated kiss, pulling away with a playful grin.

 

“There’s a whole bunch of appreciation just for you. Anyone else need to be appreciated?” Gavin looked around, grinning as Ray slipped into Jack’s chair, reaching to pull Gavin into his lap.

 

“I need all the appreciation right here, Vav. I’m needy.” Gavin pressed a line of messy kisses over Ray’s jaw, and Geoff stood up with a chuckle, returning to grill to continue cooking as Ryan made disgruntled noises at being left out. Jack settled on the picnic bench next to the grill, turning his attention to Geoff as the four on the patio began to playfully climb all over each other.

 

“So, do you think we’ll be alright here?” Jack’s question was softly spoken, and he glanced at the deck before turning to watch Geoff flip the steaks again, already taking two off for himself and Ryan.

 

“It’s safe here. It’s always safe here, Jack, you know that. What’s up?” Taking the third, barely cooked steak off the grill for Michael, Geoff turned to look at Jack, brow raised curiously. Jack shrugged some, leaning an elbow on the table top and watching Geoff a minute before responding.

 

“This was a close one, Geoff. We almost lost Gavin.” Geoff’s expression grew steely, and Jack held up a hand, cutting him off before he could speak. “We almost lost Gavin, and Ryan and Ray are both injured. You haven’t slept in two days, Michael’s finally coming down from his rage trip...we are not back from a simple heist, Geoff. We need to have more than a few days to recover.” From behind them, Gavin gave a sharp gasp as Ryan slid his hands under his shirt and shoved him away; curling into himself, and Jack gave Geoff a pointed look. “The boys need time to recover. Gavin needs time to get over whatever the hell happened in there.” Geoff frowned, taking Ray and Jack’s steaks off the grill and onto their plates, pulling the corn as well.

 

“I know. I fucking...I was scared as shit that we wouldn’t all make it out this time, Jack. I was terrified when we got to that room…”Jack placed a hand on Geoff’s arm and the older man broke off his sentence, turning back to the grill to finally remove Gavin’s well done steak, placing all the plates on the table while Jack turned the grill off. “Hey, losers come and get your food!” Four heads popped up over the rail, and Geoff smiled fondly as they made their way to the picnic table. The lads settled on one side of the table, the gents taking the other as Ryan handed out bottles of beer around the table, handing a soda to Ray and putting one on the table for himself with a warm smile as the younger man gave him a cheery thumbs up. Geoff sat back with his steak, watching his crew as they dug into their meal with vigor. Jack was right; it had been a rough heist. Things had gone tits up almost immediately after they’d broken into the bank they’d planned to rob; another crew had decided to defend what they felt was their territory, showing up halfway through Michael and Geoff stuffing bags with money and causing a hail of bullets and enough chaos for them to duck out of the mess one man short. It had taken them nearly half an hour to realize that Gavin hadn’t been in any of the getaway vehicles. Michael had immediately gone into a rage, blaming Geoff for not keeping track of who was and wasn’t in his vehicle, and midway through his rant Geoff’s phone went off. The voice on the other line had stated that they had Gavin, and their heist turned into a rescue mission instantly.

 

“So I think we’ll spend some time just relaxing up here, what do you guys think?” Geoff’s voice cut through the idle chit chat as he cut up his steak before reaching to take Gavin’s knife from him, already tired of watching the younger man try to use it while his hand was casted. Gavin gave him a tired grin as his plate was slid back to him, picking up his fork and digging into his meal.

 

“That sound lovely, Geoffrey. Like a summer vacation! I never got to go to a cabin in the woods on an actual vacation, this is exciting!” Michael snorted at Gavin’s enthusiasm, shaking his head as he took a swig from his beer.

 

“I mean, I’m all for a vacation, dude, but can we afford to be away from the city that long?” Jack hummed as he reached for the butter, taking some onto his knife to rub over his corn cob.

 

“We’re going to leave B team in charge of overseeing the city for a week or two. If anything happens, Geoff or I will go back into the city to deal with it. You guys need to take some time off, and so do we; and its safe here. We own pretty much this entire area, and there’s no one around for miles.” Michael nodded, and Ray made a show of stuffing half his steak into his mouth before talking.

 

“Ah finkf if a foof ifea.” Jack gave him a look, and he swallowed hastily before trying again. “I think it’s a good idea. I mean I’m not one for the great outdoors, but it’s nice here. I enjoy it.” He shot a glance at Gavin. “It’ll be good for us.” The brit was nodding along, concentrating on holding onto his corn cob and failing miserably. After a moment of watching him fumble, Ryan snorted and reached out to take the cob from him, stabbing the ends with cob holders before handing it back.

 

It had taken them nearly an entire day to find out where Gavin was being held. A full day of anxiety, of not knowing who had their Brit; which turned into the lot of them being on edge and testy. Michael had stormed around the penthouse, throwing things into bags for their inevitable rescue attempt, while Ray sat silently watching him. Ryan and Jack worked hard in trying to find Gavin’s location, and by the next day they’d had a lead as to where the younger man had been taken.

 

“Hey I’m all for a vacation, man. Plus, this means bbq every night.” Michael grinned, reaching for the ketchup to put on his burger. Jack chuckled as Geoff gave an affronted gasp, pointing at the younger redhead.

 

“Who do you think you are, assuming there will be bbq every night? Rude. I didn’t raise you to be this rude Michael Victoria Jones.” Gavin and Ray snickered, and Ryan hide a smile behind his hand as Michael made a face.

 

“What the fuck, Geoff. Victoria?” Geoff grinned, snatching up his beer bottle and taking a swig before responding with a wide smirk.

 

“You heard me.” Michael groaned, flicking some corn at Geoff, who turned to Jack with a distraught noise. “Do you see this? This blatant disrespect from our son? Did you raise him to be like this?” Gavin snickered, and Jack rolled his eyes, groaning.

 

“I didn’t raise him. That was all you and Ryan.” Geoff gave him an appalled look, placing his hand over his heart as Michael and Ray snickered, Gavin watching with interest as he put his now mangled corn cob down.

 

“Well alright but that means you’re responsible for Gavin.” Ryan snorted, pointing his fork in the direction of the Brit who raised a brow, waiting for the insult to come from the Vagabonds lips.

 

“That’s why Gavin’s so sensitive, Jack coddled him. Who’s responsible for Ray then?” Ray waved his hands in the air, catching their attention as Gavin pouted at the comment aimed at him.

 

“I’m self-raised. Puerto Rican import, right, so you didn’t have to raise me like these two miscreants.” Michael gave Ray a shove and the sniper fell out of his seat, arms flailing and nearing bringing the freckled man with him as he slipped to the ground dramatically. Gavin grabbed onto Michael’s arm the best he could to keep him from falling, and the gents laughed, Geoff reaching to pull Ray back up into his seat.

 

“Alright, how about no one raised you because that would make our entire relationship pretty fucking creepy.” Jack’s tone was playful, but he had a point; and as Geoff finished his meal he leaned back in his seat to survey his crew. Gavin had picked through his meal, most of it appearing to have not been eaten even if Geoff could tell it mostly had just been pushed around his plate. Michael had grabbed a salt shaker to attack Ray with, causing the other man to shout as the grains sprayed over him. Jack looked content, pleased to be enjoying a normal, non-criminal moment with the group while Ryan was watching Gavin and Michael, a small ghost of a smile on his lips at Gavin’s squawks as Michael turned the shaker on him. He was happy that they were all there, the six of them alive and (mostly) in one piece.

 

“I think we should probably call it an early night tonight, guys. It’s been a hell of a long week.” His voice held authority, and the crew nodded in agreement. Jack and Ryan moved to clear the table as the last of the meals were finished, leaving Ray, Michael and Gavin to bring in the bags from the cars. Geoff watched the younger men lug the bags into the cabin before turning to help Jack and Ryan, both of which were lost in conversation as he listened in.

 

“He’s not going to sleep tonight. Probably neither of them will, you know they won’t Ryan. Gavin’s going to refuse to take his medicine and be up all night, and Michael won’t get good night’s sleep with Gavin being up. Ray’s going to sleep like a log, with those pain killers. Do you really want to put them all in the same room and have Gavin feel bad if he wakes up Ray somehow?” Ryan ran a hand through his hair, heaving a sigh as he shook his head.

 

“No. I just, I don’t know. Maybe we should put him in with me in my room, that way Michael gets some sleep too?” Jack frowned, thinking on the suggestion. It was the most reasonable set up; Ryan wouldn’t be sleeping much anyways, with his insomnia, and someone should be at Gavin’s disposal in case something happened. The rescue had occurred barely three hours prior; no one knew how the younger man would react to whatever he had been through.

 

“If you’re okay with it. Michael might put up a fight on it but I’ll talk to him.” Geoff glanced up as the lads reappeared on the patio, a small smile gracing his lips at how Michael and Ray had their arms looped around Gavin, half dragging him as he made discontent noises at being man handled. He’d been scared when Ray had gone and almost gotten himself shot, instead having rolled himself off the roof of the building he’d been camped out on, gaining several bruises and a sprained wrist from his land two feet below. He’d been scared when Michael had shown up in the aftermath of him blowing thecorpirate’s tank, worried that the body they had stumbled on when they’d entered the small room would be Gavin’s. “You guys should get an early sleep in tonight. Bosses orders and shit.” He didn’t exactly have a commanding tone, but he could already see Ray yawning into his elbow as the three settled on the patio swing.

 

“What is this, straight to bed without dessert?” Gavin rested his chin on the railing, wide eyes on Geoff as he pouted. “We should get dessert, don’t you think? We’re good boys.” Michael and Ray moved to mirror Gavin’s lean, all three pouting at Geoff.

 

“Yeah, Geoff. We want dessert! We deserve it!” Michael smirked, shifting to press his face against Gavin’s as beside him; Ray made sad noises into his arms.

 

“Oh please, daddy Geoff, can’t we have dessert?” Ryan snorted; tying up the trash bag he had been collecting things in and setting it beside the table, raising a brow at the three younger men.

 

“That sounds a lot more sexual than just wanting dessert, you know.” Gavin beamed, rolling against Michael and stretching himself over the rail, aiming for a lazy sexiness.

 

“Oh, Daddy Ryan. Please come give us our treat. We’ve been such good boys.” Jack bit his lip, watching how Ryan’s shoulders squared at the words, and couldn’t help but enjoy the soft timbre of Gavin’s voice. Ryan strode over to the stairs, leaning to run a hand through Gavin’s hair as he leant over the three.

 

“I think the three of you need to go to bed. Ray and Michael, you two can share tonight; I want you to actually get some sleep. Gavin, you’re in with me. I need your help before bed.” Michael gave a cat call, and Ryan rolled his eyes, swatting the curly haired man lightly. “For work, shithead. Go to bed.” He moved to press a kiss to both Michael and Ray’s temples before pulling Gavin up, wrapping an arm around him. Michael moved to pull Ray up, the two of them making their way down to give soft goodnight kisses to Geoff and Jack before wandering into the house, yawning as they went. Gavin took a look around for a moment, then frowned, pointing at the three older men with a furrowed brow.

 

“Wait. Are you splitting us up because you think I’ll keep everyone up? Is that what’s happening?” Geoff shot him a guilty look, and Gavin made a distressed squawk, crossing his arms over his chest. “I’m not a bloody child, I wouldn’t keep them up. They need sleep. I’m not selfish.” Jack frowned, moving to place his hands on Gavin’s shoulders, thumbs rubbing softly over the material of his shirt.

 

“It’s not that we think you’d purposely try to keep them up, Gavin. But we all know that if Michael so much as suspects that you’re awake he’s going to be up with you, and if the two of you are up then Ray’s going to be up as well. There’s no need for that if we can help it, and Ryan’s going to be up for a bit anyways so you don’t have to worry about immediately falling asleep. We don’t think you’d be selfish and purposely keep them up, I promise.” Geoff shifted from behind Jack, moving to touch Gavin’s shoulder as well.

 

“We just want to make sure that if you need one of us, we’re available. Okay buddy?” Gavin gave a short nod, wrapping his arms around himself best he could and shifting his weight to one leg as he glanced from Geoff to Ryan and then to Jack, taking their words at face value.

 

“Okay. I…just. I wouldn’t keep them up.” He drew into himself, and Ryan moved to wrap an arm around him, frowning a little as he rubbing his shoulder gently.

 

“We know. You’re good like that, Gav. Come on; let’s go have a lay down, huh?” Gavin nodded, and Geoff and Jack watched as Ryan led the younger man off into the cabin, quiet until the door closed. Once the door swung closed, Jack turned to Geoff, frowning some as he ran a hand through his beard.

 

“We should lock up and go to bed too, really. Who knows what time Michael’s going to be awake in the morning, and Ray’s going to need to be woken up and given more painkillers sometime in the middle of the night.” Geoff nodded, letting out a hefty sigh as he moved to go up the patio stairs.

 

“Do you think this is getting too dangerous, Jack?” His voice was weary, his entire posture defeated as he pulled himself up to the patio, shoulders hunched. Jack followed him, a hand at the base of his spine as he leant to press a kiss to the older man’s cheek lightly.

 

“I think that it’s always been dangerous, Geoff. But we’ll get through it, just like we always do. We’re all stronger than expected.” Geoff flashed him a small grin, chuckling lightly as he moved to pull the door open, holding it for Jack to enter the cabin before him.

 

“Well, you aren’t wrong there. I didn’t expect the fucking fight Gavin put up when we got there, that’s for sure. God, he’s feisty when he’s being held captive. Fuck.” Jack laughed, and Geoff locked the door behind him as he switched on the security system, moving into the living room and stretching. Gavin had surprised them all when they’d opened the door to his cell; while at first they had thought that he was possibly dead, or at least unconscious, he had startled them by jumping Geoff, lashing out weakly at him.

 

“A part of me, a sick, terrible part of me, wishes that we had skinned those motherfuckers.” Jack’s tone was subdued, and he moved to turn off the living room lights as they headed up towards the third, unused bedroom. Geoff hummed in agreeance, pulling his shirt off and stepping out of his jeans before sliding into bed, watching Jack do the same before wrapping an arm around his waist.

 

“I know. But they had a justifiable death regardless. And Gavin’s back with us, which is the important part. He’s back and he’s safe and he’ll recover.” Geoff’s words were soft, his cheek pressed to Jack’s shoulder as he pressed as close as possible to the other man’s back, taking comfort in his warmth. Jack gave a small hum, his hand resting on Geoff’s arm around him as he let out a slow breath.

 

“Corpirate’s still out there though. We’ll have to deal with that.” Geoff sighed, nuzzling Jack’s neck some before squeezing his arm.

 

“After. Let’s just let the healing happen for now...or whatever bullshit hippy crap you and Ryan go off spouting when you want to spoil the lads.” Jack snorted at that, turning to face Geoff and giving him a look.

 

“We spoil them? Excuse me, who just had a treehouse built for Gavin? I think you’re the one spoiling them, mister.” Geoff grinned, brushing a kiss over Jack’s nose before snuggling up to him again, patting his back lightly.

“Shhh it’s fine. Just go to sleep. We can argue about who spoils who tomorrow.” Jack grumbled, but let his eyes fall close, and moments later both men had drifted off to sleep, glad that the six of them were together again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter! Everyone should give a shout out and some praise to my beta Copper, without whom my words would be a scattered mess I'm sure. And if anyone wants to chat with me on tumblr, im eternalscreamsofgavinfree.tumblr.com and I love talking to people. 
> 
> In other news, I'm looking for someone who wants to work with me in regards to a collaboration of sorts. I'm looking for an artist who might be willing to work with me on a few things. Secret things. (It's a series outside of LSCS. It's not really a secret I just like to pretend I'm hip with the kids okay) If you're potentially interested, you can send me an message on tumblr

“Ryan, really, you don’t have to stay up with me. I’m actually well tired now, to be honest. You look knackered; I can just go down to the living room, watch some telly until I pass out.” Gavin’s voice preceded him into the bedroom that Ryan had steered him in, and the older man rolled his eyes as he closed the door behind them, stopping to cross his arms over his chest as Gavin spun to give him a look. The Brit looked exhausted; probably as much as Ryan himself felt, more so even since he doubted Gavin had been given much opportunity to sleep while the Corpirate had held him hostage. Almost as though to prove Ryan’s theory, Gavin stumbled and nearly fell onto the bed, his entire body swaying with the effort it took him to stay upright. Ryan moved to take his uninjured arm, guiding him carefully onto the mattress and settling beside him as Gavin frowned.

 

“Gavin, I really don’t mind staying up with you until you fall asleep. We can just lay in bed and talk for a bit if you want, it would make me feel better.” He didn’t want to admit it, but Gavin being gone had hit him harder than he had anticipated. He hadn’t slept much while the other man had been prisoner to the Corpirate, constantly worried as to what might have been happening to the hacker every moment he was away from his rightful place with the crew. He reached out, hesitating only a moment before tracing his fingers over the cuts and bruises on Gavin’s face before pressing his palm to the others cheek, tilting his face up slightly to plant a gentle kiss on his lips. Gavin gave a small hum, leaning into the kiss before Ryan pulled back, simply watching the other man and allowing himself some relief at the fact that he was finally back. “I was worried about you, Gavin. We all were. I can’t imagine how it was for you…” Gavin shook his head, leaning against Ryan’s shoulder with a soft sound of discontent.

“It wasn’t as bad as it could have been. They didn’t….they didn’t hurt me physically as much as they could have. I’ve a broken hand, some broken ribs and burns...possible concussion, sure. But I’m here. I’m alive and mostly whole.” He offered the older man a small smile, nudging him until he lay back on the bed so that he could cuddle against him. “And no one else was injured. And you lot killed everyone, didn’t you?” Ryan gave a wooden nod, unwilling to break the younger man’s illusion that the Corpirate had been amongst the bodies that they had left in their wake during his rescue. No one had the heart to tell him so soon after his rescue that the danger still lurked out there that the Corpirate could come back; Geoff had requested that they kept Gavin in the dark for the time being about the Corpirate, at least until he’d had a little bit of time to heal. Gavin frowned slightly at Ryan’s reaction, nuzzling his nose into the crook of Ryan’s neck before letting out a long, slow breath. “You’re not telling me something.” Ryan sighed, giving a little shrug at Gavin’s words. They all could occasionally forget how observant Gavin was; even though it was ninety percent of his job, both in hacking and in his thievery, he was very good at coming across as airheaded and slow witted.

 

“We’re pretty sure we got most of the hired hands. Can’t guarantee every one of them’s dead though.” It was the closest he could get to keeping his word to Geoff without actually lying, and Gavin seemed content with the answer for the time being as he curled up against Ryan’s side.

 

“I thought about you lot, Ryan. You’re what kept me going.” Gavin’s words were soft, and Ryan rubbed a hand along his back slowly as he pressed a soft kiss to the top of Gavin’s head.

 

“We thought about you constantly. None of us were in a good place while you were gone. Ray spent half the time sitting at your computer, Michael was livid the entire time...Geoff was a mess, and Jack cried at least once, maybe twice.” Gavin pressed his lips to the flesh of his neck, and he gave a little shiver at the sensation.

 

“And what about you, my Ryan?” Ryan’s arm around Gavin tightened some, and he let out a shaky breath as he thought back on the previous week. He’d spent a lot of his time out, unable to stand the quiet wrongness that was their home without Gavin there.

“There’s a reason I scooped you up for the first night by myself. And not just so everyone else can get some sleep.” It was hard for him to admit just how much Gavin being gone had affected him, how much he had fallen back into his Vagabond persona. Gavin had been the first one to get over his reputation and try to know the real him, and he’d always had a soft spot for the other man, even when he was being obnoxious. Gavin shifted with a small wince, leaning to press his lips to Ryan’s with a small hum.

 

“M’right here, love. And I don’t plan on going anywhere, I promise.” Ryan turned some, drawing Gavin closer to his body and kissing him back, letting the sensation of the other man in his arms wash over him. “I won’t lie, I don’t...I don’t know if I can sleep tonight, Ryan. I…” Gavin trailed off, his fingers curling into Ryan’s shirt some as he stared at the other man’s chest. “I’m scared I’ll wake up there again.” His words were almost a whisper, and Ryan frowned as he reached to tilt the younger man’s face up to look at him.

 

“I promise you, you’re safe here with us, not in some shitty cell outside of Los Santos. I promise. And if you wake up there. Then I promise, and this counts even if I’m a dream, I promise that I’ll take you to that stupid fair you want to go to so badly that I really would rather not. Okay?” Gavin narrowed his eyes some, wrinkling his nose.

 

“Wait, that’s not fair! Either I’m home with you or I’m stuck in a cell and I have to wait on the dream promise to go to the fair! No way. Promise me you’ll make pancakes in the morning if this is real.” Ryan snorted, pressing a kiss to Gavin’s forehead.

 

“Alright. I promise that I’ll make pancakes in the morning, better? And I’ll even promise to take you to the fair if it’s still there when we get back.” Gavin nodded in agreeance, and Ryan let out a soft noise. “Do you want me to leave the light on tonight?” Gavin hesitated, and then shook his head no. Ryan reached to turn the lamp off, plunging the room into darkness, and Gavin curled tighter against him, taking a few slow breaths as he adjusted to the darkness of the room. “You’re alright, Gavin. I promise. I’m right here. Try to get some sleep, alright?” Gavin gave a small nod against Ryan’s chest, and the older man pulled the blankets up, tucking it around them carefully before settling back against the pillows. He could already feel himself drifting off, the events of the past week catching up with him now that he had a moment to relax, and having the familiar warmth of Gavin pressed against him was helping his insomnia immensely. He let sleep take him, his arms wrapped around Gavin as he felt the younger man relax against him, both their breathing evening out slowly.

 

+++ +++ +++

 

Gavin awoke with a cry, the lights above him flickering on as he frantically tried to crawl backwards, covering his head with his arms. Ryan stilled in the bed next to him, and at the door Michael froze with his hand on the light switch, a confused look on his face at Gavin’s reaction. It took a moment for either man to move, Ryan shifting to gently hold Gavin’s arms.

 

“Gavin? Gavin, it’s okay. You’re home.” Ryan turned his gaze from Gavin to Michael for a moment, gesturing for the other man to join them on the bed before turning back to the Brit. “Michael just turned on the light, Gav. It’s alright.” It took a moment for Ryan’s words to register, and when they did Gavin allowed the man to pull his arms away from his head, eyes wide and face pale.

 

“Ryan?” He blinked slowly, his eyes raking over the older man’s face before turning to Michael. “Michael?” He frowned, leaning back against the headboard and running his good hand over his face, taking a slow breath. “Sorry, I...I guess I thought...sorry.” Ryan reached to pull Gavin against him, frowning at the heat he could feel radiating off of him.

 

“You’re burning up, Gavin. How are you feeling?” Michael crawled onto the bed, shifting to sit behind Gavin to carefully pull him back against him. Gavin leant back against Michael, reaching some to pull the other man’s arms around him.

 

“Not so hot, to be honest.” Ryan frowned, pressing his hand to Gavin’s forehead before pulling back, moving to get up. The younger man was sweating badly, his face flushed as he watched Ryan’s movements.

 

“Michael, why don’t you take Gav to the bathroom and run a cool bath. I’m going to go see if Jack grabbed any medication from Caleb.” Michael nodded, and Ryan left to venture down the hall, making his way to the room Geoff and Jack had slept in. Pushing the door open, he couldn’t help the small smile as he spotted his boyfriends curled up in bed. Part of him wanted to let them sleep, but Jack was always in charge of medications and Ryan had no idea where the bag the other man had brought into the cabin upon their arrival had been put. Moving to the side of the bed, he leant to shake Jack’s shoulder gently, hoping to avoid waking Geoff up. “Jack, hey, wake up.” The bearded man shifted some, yawning as he opened his eyes to look up at Ryan sleepily.

 

“Ryan? What’s wrong?” Jack shifted to lean up on his elbow, brow furrowed as beside him Geoff buried his head under his pillow. Ryan sat himself on the side of the bed, running a hand through his messy hair as Jack gave another yawn.

 

“Gavin’s burning up. He woke up terrified when Michael turned on the light, and Michael’s running him a bath right now. Did Caleb give us any medication for him?” Jack frowned, shifting to sit up properly, Geoff letting out a grunt beside him as he pushed the pillow off of his head.

 

“Yeah, antibiotics and more painkillers. I wouldn’t give him the painkillers until after he’s bathed and eaten, it’s liquid morphine so it’ll probably knock him out or at least make him loopy. Here, let me get it for you.” Jack slipped out of bed, moving to one of the travel bags he had brought up with him the night before to rummage through it, pulling out a little Ziploc bag with the medication in it. Moving back to the bed, he handed the bag to Ryan before sitting down again, Geoff groaning as he pulled the pillow from his eyes.

 

“Why are we awake so early?” The eldest of the three grumbled as he sat up, rubbing the sleep from his perpetually tired seeming eyes before glancing at the two. “Why are we so serious this early?” He squinted at Ryan a moment, seeming to wake up a bit at the other man's presence. “Did something happen? Is Gavin okay?” Ryan ran a hand over his face, holding tight to the bag of medication before looking back at Geoff, his expression soft as he took in how worried the other man looked.

 

“Gav’s got a bit of a fever, Geoff. Michael’s running him a cool bath now, and I’m going to give him his antibiotics with something to eat. Maybe some painkillers too, depending on how he’s feeling. I figure we can set him up on the couch with Ray and the two of them can relax for a bit.” Geoff fixed him with a look, and Ryan gave a sheepish smile. “I really am fine, Geoff. A bat’s not going to keep me down, and I know Michael will go stir crazy stuck inside all day. I’ll take him to cut some firewood for tonight.” Geoff seemed to relent, and Jack reached out to run his hand over Ryan’s arm.

 

“Just take it easy, alright? We’re here to relax. All of us.” Ryan nodded, and Jack leant to press a soft kiss to his lips, Geoff following suite a moment later.

“Alright, I’m going to go check on Ray and then go see how Michael’s faring. Do the two of you want to get up and make breakfast?” He looked hopefully in Geoff’s direction, and the elder groaned as he rubbed his face with his hands.

 

“One of these days, I’m going on strike. Then you’ll all have to make your own breakfast, and then where will you be? Starved. That’s where.” Ryan snorted, getting up and waving away Geoff’s scoff as he left the room, moving to stop by the third bedroom to peek in on Ray. The younger man seemed to be still asleep, curled under the blankets and mouth wide open, drooling onto his pillow. Ryan couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped him at the sight, taking a moment to snap a picture of him on his phone before closing the door, turning to make his way back towards the bathroom where Michael and Gavin were. He knocked twice on the door, opening it once Michael called out to him and slipping inside, smiling at the sight that met him. Michael had gotten Gavin into the large tub, having removed both their clothes to join the other man in the water as he gently washed him with a cloth. It was rare to see Michael so attentive, and Ryan took a moment to enjoy the sight before settling on the closed toilet seat, letting out a soft noise as Gavin rolled his head on Michael’s chest to look at him.

 

“Hello, lovely Ryan. What have you there?” Ryan frowned some at the lethargic tone to Gavin’s voice, but held up the bag with a forced smile after a moment.

 

“Medication. What’s your pain level at?” Gavin hummed, holding his arm out for Michael to run a cloth over, watching the other man carefully work around his injuries.

 

“It’s not too bad, love, mostly my head’s just killing me…” He winced as Michael brushed the cloth over his wrist, pulling his arm back to his chest as though burned. Michael frowned, dropping the cloth to rub Gavin’s shoulder, and Ryan shifted on the toilet to brush a hand over Gavin’s forehead carefully.

 

“How do your burns feel? They don’t look too bad, but I don’t want you staying in that tub too long. Geoff and Jack are down making breakfast, so how about we get out of the tub and get dressed now?” Gavin nodded, and Michael pressed a kiss just behind his ear before picking up the cloth again.

 

“I’m just about done cleaning dickie bitch here off, anyways.” Michael pushed the cloth into Gavin’s face, the other man sputtering as he tried to shove it away, before shifting to help Ryan get Gavin out of the tub. Ryan wrapped a towel around Gavin, guiding him to sit on the toilet as Michael got out as well, pulling the drain plug and grabbing his own towel. “Is Ray up yet?” Ryan shook his head, and Michael snorted. “I’ll go get him up then. See you guys downstairs.” Wrapping the towel around his waist, he left the bathroom, leaving Ryan to help Gavin get dressed. Making his way to where Ray was still sleeping, he pushed the door open, grinning as he caught sight of the other man curled up under the blankets. Moving to the bed, he slid onto it behind Ray, wrapping an arm around him and pulling him flush against him as he nuzzling his nose against the other man’s neck. “Ray, time to get up.” The sniper groaned, turning to attempt to bury his face into Michael’s chest, and Michael let out a barking laugh. Ray pulled back some, pouting at Michael as he grumpily whined, and Michael pressed a kiss to his forehead with a soft hum.

 

“Don’t wanna get up. Its vacation that means I get to sleep as long as I want.” Ray sounded more like a petulant child than a feared criminal, and Michael couldn’t help the giggle at his boyfriend’s words.

 

“It’s like, noon dude. You need to eat and take your painkillers. Come on, don’t be a baby.” Ray sighed, sitting up some and stretching with a wince before turning back to Michael.

 

“There’d better be food or I’m gunna be pissed, dude.” Michael snorted, and Ray leant to press a light kiss to his lips before getting up off the bed. “Is everyone else up?” Michael nodded, getting off the bed as well before looping an arm around Ray’s waist.

 

“Ryan’s getting Gav ready to go downstairs, and I think Geoff and Jack are down making breakfast. So shall we?” He steered Ray towards the door, the other man snorting as he allowed himself to be lead out into the hallway.

 

“Alright, let’s go get some grubbage.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because everyone needs a little Dan in their life. (Also I lied the butt didn't make it into this chapter, but it might in the next few. Look forward to a butt people.)

Gavin’s favorite place to have breakfast in Paradise was on the large back patio, looking out over the wooden area just beyond the cleared out section of the backyard. It was peaceful, curled up on the lounger with a mug of tea in hand, a blanket tossed over his shoulders as he watched some birds flitter about in the trees. Geoff had made him toast earlier, though he had only been able to nibble at it and had been using it to lure the birds closer to where he was on the patio. His cell phone sat on the table next to the lounger, a missed call notification flashing on the screen as it had been for the past twenty minutes. His phone ringing had startled him, nearly causing him to drop his tea on the ground when it had gone off earlier, and he’d been sitting in silence attempting to ignore it since after noting the name that had popped up. He wasn’t ready to accept a call from the person on the opposite end of the line, knowing that as soon as he did the other man would know something was wrong. He scattered some more pieces of toast over the porch, letting out a startled noise as he phone began to ring again. Glancing at it, he winced; there wasn’t going to be any avoiding the other man, in the end, and he was just putting off the inevitable by ignoring his calls now. Picking up his phone, he pressed the answer button, holding it to his ear and forcing some cheer into his voice as he greeted his caller.

 

“Hey, B. Long time no talk, how’re you?” He let his gaze travel along the woods, focusing on the sound of his friend’s voice as the other man started to speak in his ear.

 

“Two weeks, Gavin. I haven’t heard from you in two bloody weeks, what the hell.” Gavin frowned at that; Dan didn’t often raise his voice to him, generally the more soft spoken of the two. He shifted in his seat, pulling his blanket tighter before responding.

 

“We had the heist, B, I told you we’d be planning and preparing for it.” On the opposite end of the line Dan let out a noise that sounded to Gavin like a cross between a sigh and an angry huff.

 

“And that heist was a week ago. What have you been doing since then? You couldn’t possibly have been so busy you missed my phone calls. I left about seven of them.” It had been twelve, actually; when Gavin had first retrieved his phone from the safe house, he’d been surprised to see Dan’s name in his call logs as many times as he did.

 

“Yeah, what of that B? You not on a job?” He was avoiding the question- the longer he could avoid telling Dan about the past week, the better. He hadn’t wanted to worry the other man, though he had been surprised to learn that Geoff hadn’t contacted him while he’d been held hostage.

 

“Nope, was actually planning on seeing if I could come and visit before you disappeared. Don’t try to avoid the question, Gavin. What the hell happened?” Of course, Dan would be able to see right through him. Dan knew him better than anyone; better than his crew, even, having known Gavin for most of his life. Gavin gave a soft sigh, curling into the chair better as behind him, the patio door opened and Jack slipped out, a mug of coffee in hand. He nodded at the older man as he settled onto one of the patio chairs before turning his attention back to the conversation at hand, chewing his lip before speaking.

 

“So you remember how you always said that if I ever got captured by some rival crew I’d be awful at resisting any torture that involved my being burnt? You owe me a bloody apology, B, because I am well ace at it.” There was a moment of silence, and Gavin could almost see the way Dan’s brow furrowed in confusion before a look of anger would have taken over his face.

 

“You were grabbed? How long?” The other man’s voice was surprisingly controlled, more so than Gavin would have anticipated -He recalled easily the first time someone had grabbed him, a rival gang back in the UK, how Dan had come in guns blazing- and it took him a moment to find the words to reply.

 

“A week. I’m okay, Dan, really. I’m home safe now. Well. I’m at Paradise with the others.” More silence greeted him, the soft clattering of a keyboard being typed upon just barely audible in the background. Gavin assumed Dan was looking into a flight, the earliest he could get into the States; he would be doing the same himself, were their situations reversed.

 

“A week? Bloody hell, Gav. Are you…” He hesitated a moment, and Gavin could imagine him chewing his lip as he was wont to do when he was nervous of asking a question. “Are you okay? All in one piece?” Gavin couldn’t help the small snort at that, the noise drawing Jack’s attention to him as his grip on his phone tightened.

 

“More or less. Everything’s still attached at the very least. They were a bit less physical, just a broken wrist, some broken ribs, some burns.” He wiggled the fingers of his broken hand on the armrest of the lounger, a frown crossing his lips as he thought back on the past week. “There was a lot of...psychological stuff, instead. M’not really sure if that’s better or worse, t’be honest B. And…” he glanced at Jack, his thoughts on his weird blackout that had happened the night before his rescue. He hadn’t brought it up to any of the crew, nor to Caleb; he figured that it might have just be stress, though he had found himself completely out of it earlier while he and Michael had been in the bath and it had made him think that he had perhaps been wrong in thinking that. “And I couldn’t sleep too well last night. Nightmares and the like, I suppose.” He was loathe to admit it, but Dan would know regardless and there was no way Ryan hadn’t already informed Jack of the few times he’d awoken during the night to screaming.

 

“Jesus, Gav. I’m coming over there. I can’t believe Geoff didn’t call me, I am bloody livid. Or that Burnie didn’t call me. He knew too, I assume? Was I the only one out of the loop?” Dan sounded upset, and Gavin couldn’t blame him; he would have been upset if Dan had been kidnapped and no one had alerted him. He glanced at Jack, who had taken over his feeding of the birds in an attempt to appear nonchalant about Gavin’s phone call. He rolled his eyes, shifting in his seat again.

 

“I assume. I’ll have a talk with Jack in a mo about it, B, promise. I’m just as unimpressed as you are. And...it would be quite lovely for you to visit, I won’t lie.” Dan was a bit of a security blanket for him; whenever anything had been wrong growing up, they had always been there for each other. And while the others were comforting in their own way, Dan held a special place in his heart, like coming home to a familiar place after being away. The two had been together through so much that to not have the other man there now that they were talking felt odd.

 

“The first flight in I can catch isn’t until tomorrow. Is that alright?” Gavin couldn’t resist the snicker at that, as though Dan would be able to change the flights around if it didn’t suit Gavin’s need.

 

“Well it’ll have to be, hmm? Can’t rearrange the plane schedules, can you B?” Dan grunted, un-amused, and Gavin gave a chuckle. “It’s alright, Dan. It’ll be good to see you, really. It’s been awhile.” It would, really; he hadn’t seen Dan in a few months, and he missed his friend.

 

“Well I could try to change them, but I don’t think it would work. You just...hang in until I get there, yeah?” Gavin couldn’t help the smile at Dan’s words, at the way Dan’s voice sent calm through him.

 

“Alright, B. I’ll see you when you get here. Be safe.” Dan gave a laugh, and Gavin let his gaze wander to Jack, who had paused in feeding the birds to listen to him. Jack flushed, embarrassed at having been caught and Gavin’s smile grew a little more.

 

“I think I should be telling you that, Gavin. You be safe.” Gavin gave a hum, and the two hung up. Leaning forward in his seat he cleared his throat, causing Jack to look up at him guiltily. “So. Why did no one call Dan?” There was a moment of silence, Jack’s mouth opening and closing several times, before the other man spoke.

 

“Geoff didn’t want to worry him. And Dan’s a difficult man to get ahold of sometimes, we weren’t sure if he was on a job or not.” Gavin scoffed, shaking his head as he shifted in his chair to put his feet up again.

 

“And you didn’t think that me not contacting him wouldn’t make him worry? We talk at least three times a week, Jack.” Jack hesitated, looking as though he had something to say on the matter, but refrained and rubbed the back of his neck instead.

 

“Look, Gavin, it was Geoff’s decision not to call anyone about it. He didn’t even want to call Burnie; he wanted us to take care of this, to take care of getting you back ourselves. Should we have called Dan? Probably. But our only concern was getting you back.” Jack seemed upset, and it caused Gavin’s irritation at him to die down almost immediately. Obviously, they hadn’t purposely left Dan out of the loop. He could understand being so frantic that your only thought was to rescue someone you love- he’d have been the same way, most likely, had Jack or one of the others been taken.

 

“I know...just, Dan’s upset that he didn’t know, and I know you didn’t mean to not tell him. I get why…” Gavin shifted to pull himself up off the lounger, moving to stand in front of Jack instead to place his hands on Jack’s shoulders. “Have I said thank you yet, for rescuing me?” Jack frowned, reaching to place his hands on Gavin’s hips as he pulled the other man closer to him, resting his forehead on Gavin’s stomach.

 

“You don’t have to thank me for that. Or any of us. If anything, we should be asking you for forgiveness, not accepting your thanks. It took us so long to get you back, Gavin...I’m so sorry.” Gavin’s expression softened as he brought his good hand to run his fingers through Jack’s hair, nails scraping gently against the other man’s scalp in an attempt to soothe him.

 

“You did your best, Jack, and that’s all I could ask. You lot got me out, yeah? I’m here? And I’m pretty much in one piece. None of that sorry nonsense now.” Jack’s hands tightened some on his hips, and Gavin slid his hand down Jack’s cheek to tilt his face up, leaning awkwardly to press a soft kiss to the other man’s lips. Jack sighed, pressing into the kiss a moment before pulling back, watching Gavin with glassy eyes.

 

“How is it that someone who can be so infuriatingly annoying can also be the most forgiving person?” Gavin snorted, shaking his head some as Jack gave a chuckle.

 

“I take it back, now you have to make it up to me for the next week. Nothing but pampering and cuddling and making me food that I want.” Jack’s chuckle turned into a full blown laugh, the man pressing his face into Gavin’s stomach, and Gavin’s grin grew as some cheer returned to the other man.

“God, I missed you.” Jack’s words were muffled against Gavin’s stomach, and Gavin let his hand drop to the back of the other man’s neck as he hummed at Jack’s admittance.

 

“I missed you too, Jack.” Jack’s hands tightened on Gavin’s hips slightly, and Gavin sighed softly. His head was starting to hurt; he had been trying to ignore the fever he had, but now he was beginning to feel it again. “Can we go back inside? I don’t feel so good.” Jack nodded, pulling back to guide Gavin back a few steps, giving the larger man room to stand.

 

“You probably shouldn’t have been out here to begin with, Gavin. You have a fever already.” Jack’s frown caused little worry lines to crease in the other man’s forehead, and Gavin reached to smooth his fingers over them with a soft smile.

 

“Been trapped in a cell for the past week, love, I needed some fresh air. But I’m starting to see why I should have just opened a window up...my head’s starting to hurt.” Jack slipped an arm around Gavin’s shoulder, steering him towards the door as he shook his head.

 

“Inside, with warm blankets and some medication I think. You and Ray can keep each other company on the couch; you know how he is on painkillers.” Gavin nodded, allowing Jack to guide him inside, and as he settled on the couch he smiled up at the other man.

 

“I love you, Jack.” Jack smiled warmly, leaning to press a kiss to Gavin’s forehead as he pulled some blankets around him.

 

“I love you too, Gavin. Get a little bit of rest, okay?” Gavin nodded and Jack handed him the T.V remote, giving him one final look before heading into the kitchen to see what the others were up to. Gavin turned on the television, settling back into the cushions and letting himself get lost in the T.V show that was on.

 

It barely took ten minutes before he was fast asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

“What if, and hear me out ‘cause this is pretty much the best idea ever, but what if we didn’t give me painkillers and I go out hunting with Ryan and Michael?” Michael snorted at Ray’s words, glancing across the table at the younger man as he waved his fork in the air.

“First of all, we aren’t even going hunting, we’re gonna cut firewood you idiot. And you can’t do that with your wrist broken so you chill here for a bit.” Ray pouted at Michael, who fixed him with a look as he reached across the table for the container of butter. “Secondly, Gavin would probably like some company, and didn’t you want to play more Pokémon anyways?” Michael raised a brow, and Ray let out a huffed sigh as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“I guess. I still think that I shouldn’t have to take more painkillers. I can barely feel the pain.” Next to Ray, Geoff gave a snort as he took a sip of his coffee, and Ray fixed him with an unimpressed look. “I don’t. Seriously. Look.” He attempted to wave his injured hand, his face twitching before he let it drop back to the table with a wince. “No pain at all.” Jack shook his head, pushing the opened pill bottle towards Ray with a look.

“Take the painkiller, Ray. If not to make your wrist better, then to make me feel better. I don’t like thinking about you in pain.” Ray pouted, but reached for the bottle to take out a pill.

“That’s cheating. You’re a cheater, Jack, how fucking dare you.” Jack grinned, holding his hands up in surrender as Ray swallowed the pill, making a face.

“I do what I must for the wellbeing of this crew, Ray. If that means cheating, so be it.” Ray stuck his tongue out, reaching for his glass of juice to get the taste of the pill out of his mouth. Michael shifted in his chair, letting his attention fall to Ryan as the other man sat down with his plate of toast and eggs.

“So, do we get to be like, big burly men in the woods? Should I go get some plaid on?” Ryan snorted, and Geoff leant across the table towards Michael.

“Do you even own plaid anything? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in plaid in my life, I think I would pay to see you in something plaid.” Michael snickered, stretching his arms over his head as he shrugged slightly.

“I don’t know, I think I could pull it off. Plaid shirt and some dad jeans, maybe some suspenders? I’d look fabulous.” Jack chuckled, stirring some more sugar into his mug of coffee as beside him, Ray shook his head.

“I’m trying to picture it, but it’s just not coming man. Ryan, sure, I could maybe see. Like, maybe. Jack though, that’s lumberjack material right there. Look at that beard, it’s like it’s made to be in the woods, chopping down trees.” Jack stroked his beard, and Ray grinned. “But like, I would still just love to see you guys dressed as lumberjacks.” Ryan finished off the piece of toast he’d been eating, clearing his throat as he reached for his glass of juice.

“I’m not dressing up like a lumberjack. We’re just going to chop up the rest of the wood that’s out back.” Ray pouted, and Ryan reached to prod him in the cheek. “And then we can all do something.” Ray made a show of sighing before nodding at Ryan’s words.

“Fiiiiine. I’ll stay in here like a good boy. Go be big burly men together and leave little old me alone inside.” Geoff snorted, finishing the last of his coffee before reaching to ruffle Ray’s hair.

“Jack and I will still be here, and Gavin’s in the living room. You’re not alone inside, you nerd.” Ray stuck his tongue out at the older man, and Geoff let out a laugh as he moved to stand up, picking up his plate.

“Alright, Michael, let’s go cut some wood. Maybe we’ll have a bonfire tonight.” Michael let out a cheer as he stood from the table, moving to collect the dishes from the others as Ray pushed his chair back, slowly getting up. He waved Michael off as he moved to take his glass, picking it up and bringing it to the sink himself before turning to go into the living room. He spotted Gavin immediately, the other man having kicked most of the blankets off as he lay curled into a ball on the large couch, the T.V running in the background quietly. Smiling to himself, he moved to sit beside Gavin, reaching to gently shake the other man awake.

“Hey, Vav. You don’t look too comfy like that; you want to spread out and use my lap as a pillow for a bit?” Gavin blinked sleepily up at him, a confused look on his face as he glanced around.

“Ray?” His voice was a bit hoarse, and Ray grinned as he reached to help Gavin sit up. The Brit’s cheeks were flushed with fever; his glassy eyes watching Ray’s face a moment as he allowed himself to be pulled up gently from where he had been laying. “When did you come in here?” Ray chuckled, reaching to maneuver Gavin until he was laying down again, his head in Ray’s lap and one of the lighter blankets pulled over him.

“Just now. We’re gunna be couch buddies today I guess. Jack tricked me into taking a painkiller, the bastard.” Gavin gave a sleepy giggle, shifting some to pat Ray’s thigh lightly.

“He’s a right tricky bastard, he is. That’s okay though, we can watch cartoons!” Gavin seemed to perk up some at the thought of company, and Ray couldn’t help the sudden flood of relief that Gavin was actually there with them again.

"Yeah, buddy, we sure can. Get all cartoony up in here.” Gavin snorted, reaching up to pat Ray’s cheek lightly with a sleepy smile.

“It’ll be lovely, X-Ray. A nice cuddle and cartoon break for us. I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages.” Ray bit his lip at that, thinking back on the past week. It had been hard; no one had been the same, but Ray had felt like he was sat on the outside looking in when it came to the others. Geoff had shut himself down, working in full boss mode and not allowing himself to lose sight of what they had to do to rescue the other man. Jack had done his best to keep everyone’s morale up, but Ray had caught him more than once sitting in Gavin’s computer room, staring blankly at the monitors. He’d caught Michael and Ryan both in the midst of their rage over Gavin being gone, and while they’d both been sullen and withdrawn. And he himself had felt at a loss, uncertain as to whether or not they’d even get the other man back. He felt foolish for doubting them now, with Gavin lying beside him, but he had never been much of an optimist before and he had always found that preparing himself for the worst was easier than hoping for the best.

“Yeah. I’m glad you’re back dude. Even if you’re a shit, you’re still our shit you know?” Gavin shifted some, reaching up to place his uninjured hand on Ray’s cheek to tilt his face down to look up at him.

“I never once doubted that you lot would come get me, Ray. I kept telling Jeremy that you were coming.” Ray smiled, leaning into the hand on his cheek and settling back against the couch cushions. Gavin pouted, shifting to sit up and moving until he crawled into Ray’s lap, straddling him awkwardly. He cupped Ray’s face between his hands, leaning until their noses brushed together. “I’m sorry you got hurt trying to rescue me.” Ray shrugged some, and Gavin tilted his head to press a soft kiss to his lips before frowning slightly. “Really, Ray. You and Ryan shouldn’t have gotten hurt trying to rescue me, and I’m sorry you did.” Ray tilted his head some, allowing Gavin to bury his face in the younger's shoulder as he took a shaky breath, the Brit’s hands dropping to fist in Ray’s shirt.

“It’s alright, Gavin. All that matters is that we got you back.” Gavin gave a soft sigh, his hands tightening slightly before he shifted some more, cuddling up to Ray. Ray reached for a blanket, pulling it over them and shifting them around until he could bring his legs up onto the couch, sliding some so they were lying comfortably. Gavin hummed contently, seemingly pleased with Ray’s decision as the sniper reached for the controller, switching the channel to some cartoons before settling himself. “You know, Ryan and Michael are outside being lumberjacks and cutting wood right now. I think we got the better end of the deal, really.” Gavin gave a sleepy chuckle, turning his face some to rest his cheek on Ray’s chest.

“I dunno, it’d be fun to watch though…” He trailed off a moment, his fingers tracing circles on Ray’s chest as he hesitated before speaking again. “Ray...Dan’s going to be coming down. He’s well pissed no one called him this whole time...do you think Geoff will be mad at him for coming? I know this is supposed to be us time, I do, but….it’s Dan.” Ray frowned slightly, wrapping his arm around Gavin to trace his fingers along the other’s spine.

“Well, nah dude I’m sure it’ll be fine. Dan’s like, he’s sort of like family right? I’m sure it’ll be fine. Plus I don’t think we could stop Dan the Man from coming here if we wanted to.” He chuckled, and Gavin gave him a small smile before turning his attention towards the T.V. once more. “It’ll be nice to see him I think. He hasn’t been over here in a while, I bet you miss him right?” Gavin ran his fingers lightly over Ray’s chest until they bumped his nipple, poking it before he responded.

“Yeah. I miss him a lot. I haven’t seen him since before Burnie and I divorced, feels like ages. It’ll be nice to see him…” He trailed off, flicking Ray’s nipple lightly before pressing his hand flat to the other man’s chest, smiling some. “Not as nice as it is to see you and the others, but still. Nice.” Ray nodded, and Gavin made a noise of contentment as he settled against Ray, eyes on the T.V. again. The noise of the cartoon was the only sound in the room for several minutes before Ray cleared his throat, catching Gavin’s attention again.

"So like...why didn’t you and Dan ever hook up? Clearly you guys love each other a lot. And you’re hot, I know you know that. And Dan’s not too bad on the eyes. And I’ve seen the two of you kiss, there’s totally chemistry. So….how come it never happened?” Gavin shifted enough to look up at Ray a moment, frowning slightly before settling back down on him once more, eyes back on the T.V as he spoke.

“So, I don’t know why it’s important, and it’s private, Ray, but I love you so I’ll tell you. I have slept with him, you know? Several times, back when we were together all the time. And I love him, but I’ve never been in love with him. He’s like...do you believe in soulmates?” Ray shrugged, and Gavin continued on. “I think he’s my soulmate. Like. We just get each other perfectly and it’s good and it’s lovely but I’m not...he doesn’t do me in like you do. Like the others do. It’s not the same.” Ray nodded some, trying to wrap his head around Gavin’s explanation some. He got it...sort of. He’d seen Gavin and Dan together enough to know that the two of them were practically joined at the hip any time they were in the same city; he could understand that sort of friendship. He and Michael had been like that before they’d joined the crew, way back before they had even thought of running in Los Santos.

“I get it I think. He’s always been there, huh?” Gavin nodded, and Ray ran the fingers of his uninjured hand through Gavin’s hair lightly. “Alright. But you know we’ll always be there too, right?” Gavin hummed, the vibrations ringing through Ray’s chest as he chuckled as Gavin pressed into his hand some.

“But always means always, Ray. You can’t leave if things get too real okay?” Gavin’s voice was soft, a little sleep slurred as he snuggled up to the sniper, and Ray stilled a little at the others words. He knew that he was always thought to be the first one to cut ties and run, and maybe before it’d have been true- but they were stuck with him now, as terrifying as the thought was. Staying in one place, being with the others...it was still new, still so fragile. Ray was scared of ruining what they had if it fell apart. Gavin seemed to notice his reaction, reaching to press two fingers to his cheek to turn his face some to look up at him, the angle awkward. “Hey. You’re stronger than you think, love. And together? We’re all going to be bloody unstoppable, aren’t we?” Gavin grinned, and Ray couldn’t help the chuckle as he tightened the arm around Gavin.

“Yeah. Yeah, we’re pretty powerful together, Gav.” He gave a yawn, and Gavin pulled the blanket up around them, smiling to himself.

“Let’s watch us some cartoons, X-ray.”

“Let’s, Vav.”


	5. Chapter 5

Swinging an axe, no matter how many times they came out to Paradise and no matter how many times he cut wood, was always a lot more work than Michael remembered. He didn’t mind the work, though; he wasn’t injured like Ray and sitting around for a week would just drive him crazy if he had nothing to do. Bringing the axe down to lodge it into the log he’d been hacking at, he straightened up to look over at where Ryan had already gone through his pile and was leaning against the patio support beam. 

“Fuck, you should have been a goddamn model, Ry. You sure fuckin’ pose like one, jesus christ.” Ryan raised a brow, arm raised from where he’d used his sleeve to wipe his brow, and Michael gesticulated wildly at him, a frustrated look on his face. “Look! You’re doing it again, stop being attractive and shit! I’m tryin’ to work here!” Ryan snorted, leaning to pick up the axe he’d set against the beam before making his way over to Michael, leaning to steal a kiss. 

“You’re ridiculous. And I think that’s more than enough wood for tonight, at least. Come on, let's grab a drink and sit on the deck for a few minutes.” Ryan gestured for Michael to follow him, the younger man dropping his axe to make his way up to the patio where Ryan had brought out a cooler earlier in the day. He settled on the patio swing, taking the bottle of beer Ryan handed him and opening it as Ryan sat with a bottle of water next to him. They sat in silence for a moment drinking before Ryan turned to Michael, watching him as he set his bottle down. “So. How are you holding up?” Michael shot him a questioning look, lips pressed in a tight line as he considered the question. 

“How do you think I'm holding up? Its not like he fucking died, Ryan, jesus. Shit happens all the time, we’re fucking criminals. How am I holding up, fuck you how are you holding up asshole?” Michael’s words were a bit harsh, his entire body rigid with held back anger as he glared at Ryan. 

“I'm alright. A little bit scared to be honest. I'm not used to caring if someone got kidnapped before. I'm not scared to admit that I was terrified we’d never see Gavin again. And I was scared you had hurt yourself with that bomb.” Michael frowned, reaching to lightly touch Ryan's arm as the older man shrugged some. “I'm doing better now. I know you and Ray are okay, and Gavin's back with us. Having him in my room last night really helped I think.” Michael grunted, giving Ryan a light shove at his words. 

“Yeah about that asshole, why'd you guys split us up?” Ryan hesitated for a moment, running a hand through his hair as he glanced towards the cabin doors. 

“We didn't want Gavin to keep you guys up. You both needed sleep, and...I'm not going to sugarcoat it, Michael. He woke up screaming five or six times, it was a long night. I don’t even think he really remembered most of it this morning.” Michael’s face fell, the tension leaving his body as he collapsed back against the swing’s back with a sigh. He hadn’t expected Gavin to just bounce back from the kidnapping; he wasn’t an idiot, and he himself had been through a kidnapping before. He knew that shit took it’s toll, even if you didn’t want it to. Even now, he still had to leave the room whenever Ryan used a cattle prod for torture- he understood what that sort of thing could do to a person. But Gavin had been acting like normal since they had reached Paradise, as though he had been on a weeks vacation as opposed to a week of torture. There was something not quite right to his forced cheerfulness that made Michael worry about him all the more. 

“He’s home though. We can help him through it, just like we always do. Just like you guys did with me. Right?” Ryan nodded, and Michael smiled some. “It's sort of really fucking adorable to see you all concerned though, dude. Like knowing how much you care is endearing. “ Ryan rolled his eyes, pulling Michael closer to press a kiss to his lips before shoving him off the swing with a dark chuckle.

“I care enough to murder the Corpirate should we ever cross paths. Provided Ray doesn't get there first. “ Michael snorted, climbing his way back onto the swing with a look towards the older man. 

“The saying is sharing is caring, not murdering is caring.” Ryan made a face, crossing his arms over his chest as he watched Michael shake his head in amusement. 

“The saying is that I will kill anybody who wants to hurt you. Any of you. “ Ryan’s voice was soft and serious, and Michael frowned as he turned to look at the other man properly. 

“You know that his getting kidnapped, that isn't anyone's fault Rye. Someone leaked our heist plans.” Ryan sighed, running a hand through his hair as he let his gaze sweep across the patio, nodding after a moment. 

“I know that. And when we find out who it was? They're going to wish they'd never heard of us. “ Michael nodded in agreement, taking another swig of his drink. Both men looked up as the patio door slid open, waving to Geoff as the older man exited the cabin. 

“How's the wood cutting going?” Ryan gestured to the pile of chopped logs on the ground behind them, offering a smile. 

“Got through most of those cords, should have more than enough wood. How's everyone inside doing?” Geoff grabbed a beer from the cooler, settling on the lounger next to the swing and opening the bottle on the railing. 

“Team X-Ray and Vav are fast asleep in the living room. Managed to force them both to take their painkillers with little complaint so that was good. Jack’s just finishing up some calls that needed to be done, handling some loose ends up. Kdin and Mica are trying to hunt down the Corpirate’s location but he's a slippery fucker. I was considering getting some fishing in, anyone interested?” Ryan chuckled, shifting in his seat to lean forward as he took a sip of his water. 

“Fishing could be nice. Is Jack going to come with us?” Geoff shrugged, glancing towards the door of the patio where the aforementioned man could be seen checking on the two sleeping men on the couch. 

“I’m pretty sure he said he wanted to come fish too. Michael? You want in on this?” Michael shook his head, finishing his beer and settling the bottle on the small table next to the swing. 

“Nah, I’ll stay here with the wonder twins. Someone’s gotta make sure they don’t injure themselves more.” Ryan snorted, capping his water bottle and setting it between his knees as Geoff rolled his eyes. Behind them, Jack opened the door, stepping out onto the deck before closing the door behind him with one last look at Ray and Gavin.

“So who's joining Geoff and I for fishing?” The pilot asked, casting a curious look over the two men seated on the swing. Michael held up his hands, shaking his head as he moved to stand up, and Ryan laughed. 

“I’ll come with you. Michael’s volunteered to be on babysitting duty until we get back. How are they?” Jack moved to take Michael’s seat as they younger man moved to go inside, giving a small shrug at Ryan’s question. 

“Ray didn’t want to take his medication, and Gavin’s fever’s gotten a little higher but they seem alright for now. Hopefully some sleep will do them good.” He turned to Ryan, nodding towards where Michael was now leaning over the couch to inspect the two sleeping men. “How’s Michael doing? He’s been a little off since we got here.” Ryan let out a soft sigh, settling back in the swing again. 

“I think he’ll be alright, once everything settles. Some time off will probably do us all good, to be honest with you. I’m still a little shaken from the whole week, and I know Ray’s feeling the same. How are you guys holding up?” Jack cast a look at Geoff, biting the corner of his lip as he tried to come up with the best answer to Ryan’s question. 

“Alright, I guess? I mean...I don’t know. I don’t think it’s completely hit me that we’re suppose to just move on. Remember when Michael was taken? That was only for two days, and it shook us. This? This is going to be a bit more recovery I think, especially where...I thought he was dead, for like half a minute. I didn’t want to, I wanted to stay the positive one, but for a minute I honestly was wondering if the whole rescue was going to be a waste.” Geoff was silent as Jack spoke, watching as Jack ran his fingers through his beard with a sigh. 

“If anything happens to that kid, it’d be on my head.” Both Ryan and Jack looked at Geoff, frowning at his words. “He had a good gig with Burnie, but I pulled him into this life again. His blood would have been on my hands.” Ryan reached out, grasping Geoff’s arm and pulling him closer. 

“I know we all treat the lads like they’re kids, Geoff, but they’re all adults. Gavin’s a grown up who can make his own choices.” Geoff shook his head, shaking Ryan’s hand off his arm as he shifted in his seat. 

“He made the decision to join this crew, Geoff. And I don’t think he’s regretted it once. None of this is your fault.” Jack’s voice was soft, and Geoff stared at him for a moment before chuckling, running a hand through his hair. 

“Yeah...yeah, I guess you’re right. People get kidnapped in this line of work. We rescued him...that’s whats important. Everyone’s here.” The three men nodded, and after a moment of silence Jack clapped his hands together. 

“Who wants to get the fishing gear together? Lake’s just down there waiting for us.” Geoff chuckled, nudging Jack’s foot with his own as Ryan pulled himself up to stretch. 

“Who are we to refuse the call of the dock?” Ryan’s tone was teasing, and Geoff grabbed his arm to help pull himself up. 

“Dicks, that’s who. Come on, let’s grab some beers and diet cokes and hit the poles.” Jack laughed, moving to get their gear as Geoff fished around in the cooler to see if there was enough drinks to take with them. Ryan stood watching, expression soft as he took in the men around him. 

Maybe things would start getting back to normal now.

“Alright, got the poles and the lures, lets go!” Jack tossed a rod at Ryan, who caught it and chuckled as Geoff grabbed the cooler to take with them. The eldest grinned, starting off down the steps of the patio, his voice cracking as he called out behind him. 

“Leeeet’s fish!”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some Team Lads with a shot of minor Michael!angst. My poor smol angry son. ( Did I just update two different stories in one day? Yes. Yes I did. Enjoy that gift from me)

“Get off me!” 

Michael looked up from where he had been making a sandwich in the kitchen, nearly dropping the knife he’d been using at the sound of Gavin’s yell. Placing the utensil on the counter, he hurried back into the living room where he had left the other two lads, spotting Gavin almost immediately as the other man struggled with the blanket wrapped around him. Ray was sitting on the ground next to the couch, half asleep and confused as he stared at Gavin. 

“What the fuck happened?” Michael’s question drew Ray’s attention, and the younger man waved wildly at Gavin on the couch, who had finally extracted himself from the blanket he’d been wrapped in.

“I don’t know! He just started yelling!” Ray looked distressed, and Michael moved to help him up onto the chair beside the couch before moving to attempt to calm Gavin down, sitting next to him on the couch as he watched Gavin open his eyes and look around frantically. 

“Hey, hey. Gavin. Gavvers, it’s okay, you’re alright. No one’s on you.” Gavin took a deep breath, eyes focusing on Michael for a moment before he glanced around, still a bit skittish where he sat. Michael reached out his hand, offering it to the Brit, and Gavin flinched slightly before taking it, squeezing his fingers lightly as he let it sink in that he was at Paradise with the others, and not still trapped with the Corpirate. After a few minutes he settled some, turning to look at Ray with a look of distress. 

“Did I knock you off the couch?” He asked, sounding almost mortified at the idea. Ray shrugged, and Michael shifted to lace his and Gavin’s fingers together as the sniper waved his uninjured hand. 

“Nah, I think I fell off while I was sleeping. You alright?” Gavin shrugged, and Ray nodded in understanding. “Yeah, I get that. Is there anything we can do?” Gavin shrugged again, and Michael frowned, tugging on the hand in his gently. 

“Hey. You know you can talk to us about this shit, right? We get it. Team Lads sticks together.” Gavin gave a small nod, and Michael rubbed his thumb over the back of Gavin’s hand gently as Ray stood to join them on the couch, the three shifting about until Gavin was between the other two. Ray linked his arm with Gavin’s and leant his head on the other man’s shoulder as they waited for Gavin to speak, as patient as the two were capable of being. 

“I thought...I dreamt, I guess, that Rat was on me. Like in the end. He was so...ugh. So awful. He was the sort of awful that reminded me of before, back in the UK. He hated that I kept saying you lot were coming for me.” He frowned and Michael squeezed his hand lightly, letting him sort out his thoughts before he continued on, his broken hand drifting to touch his neck where the dark bruises lay. “He came at me like a wild man when the bunk hit the fan. I thought he might actually wind up killing me...or worse.” Ray’s brow furrowed, and he tightened his arm around Gavin’s as he turned his head to rest his chin on the Brit’s shoulder. 

“What do you mean, worse? Gav, what was he planning on doing to you?” Ray’s words were soft, and Gavin shook his head, letting his hand drop from his throat as he turned his look away from either man. Michael thought back to when they’d gotten to Gavin, after they’d calmed him enough to get him to stop attacking Geoff. Recalled the words the other had spoken before they’d left the room he’d been trapped in. 

“Did he...Gavin, did that asshole try to do something to you?” Gavin stiffened slightly, glancing at Michael from the corner of his eye before nodding. Michael bristled, his anger rising a moment before he caught the look on Gavin’s face and remembered that the man was dead, killed by Gavin before they’d even gotten to him. 

“He wanted to. I didn’t let him, I stabbed him...a lot. I killed him. But he wanted to try and see why you lot kept me around. Thought maybe I was just a good lay.” He gave a joyless laugh and Ray curled closer to him, giving a small hum as Gavin nuzzled back against him. 

“Guess he saw exactly why we keep you around, killer. Plus, you know, we love you even if you’re a pretentious asshole who loves gold way too much cause you’re pretty awesome.” Gavin gave a small chuckle at that, and Ray grinned, pleased with himself.

“Can I make a confession, Gav?” Michael’s voice was small, and Gavin turned slightly to face him properly, giving him a nod and a concerned look. “I was sort of a mess while you were gone. I kind of blamed Geoff a little at first, cause who can’t keep track of their crew? But then I sort of...blamed myself. “ He looked away, and Gavin frowned, tightening his hand in Michael's as he shook his head. 

“Well it wasn’t anyone’s fault, Michael. This line of work, people get kidnapped. People get tortured. The important part is that you came for me. The part that matters to me is that you got me out of there, boi.” Michael glanced up at Gavin’s words, taking in the expression of gratitude on the other man’s face as he smiled at him. “So you shouldn’t blame yourself for what happened. If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s mine for not paying attention while leaving the bank.” Ray frowned, reaching some to pat Gavin’s arm lightly. 

“No one’s fault. We already decided this dude.” The three fell into silence for a few moments before Gavin tilted his head, glancing around the room. 

“Where are the others?” Michael let out a small groan, collapsing forward to rest his forehead on Gavin’s chest lightly.

“They went fucking fishing. Like the grumpy old bastards they are. Fishing. What nerds.” Ray snorted, glancing out the window towards where the fishing dock was. Geoff had insisted that the property have a decent dock, both for fishing and for the sailboat that Ryan had purchased not long after officially joining the crew. Gavin and Michael generally used the dock for swimming, and Ray generally avoided it whenever he was able to. 

“Oh, do you think we’re okay to go for swimmy bevs? Caleb never said if Ray and I were allowed to go for swims…” Gavin chewed his bottom lip as he attempted to think back on Caleb’s words of warning before they had left the clinic. The younger man hadn’t mentioned anything specific about swimming, though Gavin was sure that the instructions to keep his bandages clean and dry disagreed with the entire premise of swimming. 

“Well I for one won’t be going for any swims but you guys enjoy.” Ray’s voice caused both of them to glance over to the sniper, Michael snickering as Ray attempted to shift under Gavin’s arm only to knock himself half off the couch. 

“Oh, Ray, no. You have to come with us, it’s not team lads without you!” Gavin pouted, grabbing Ray’s arm to tug him back onto the couch as he nodded towards Michael. “Who will help me take Michael out in splash wars?” Ray rolled his eyes, reaching to lightly tap the Brit’s wrapped up hand.

“No one, because you have a broken hand and you really shouldn’t get your cast wet. Why can’t we just stay inside and relax?” Gavin’s face fell some, and he shifted on the couch to bring his knees to his chest, rubbing his wrists as he stared at the floor. 

“Been stuck in a windowless cell for a week, X-Ray. I want to be outside as much as possible for a bit, yeah? Feeling a bit claustrophobic inside.” Ray winced, and Gavin shot him a forced smile. “It’s alright though, you don’t have to come out with us when we go love. I know you don’t like it much.” Ray frowned some, and Michael cleared his throat, drawing both their attention. 

“Are you guys hungry? I was making sandwiches before you woke up…” Ray nodded, and Gavin made a noise as he shifted to stand up, stumbling as the room swam slightly around him. Michael reached to steady him, chuckling some. “Woah there, Gav. You gotta go slow, man, you still have a fever and those meds are probably gunna mess with your balance a bit. Come on into the kitchen, I’ll make some food.” He reached to help Ray stand up before leading the two men into the kitchen, making sure they were seated at the table before he started back on his sandwich. 

“Can I have cold cuts?” Ray asked, stretching awkwardly in his seat to turn on the electric kettle on the counter behind him. Michael nodded, finishing the sandwich he had previously been working on and placing it on a plate before starting on Rays, turning slightly to address Gavin. 

“What sort of sandwich do you want?” Gavin shrugged some, and Michael frowned. “I’ll make you a soggy piece of bread if you don’t decide by the time I’m done making Ray’s.” Gavin gave a gagging sound, waving his hands in the air in front of him as though he could wave the thought of soggy bread away. 

“Michael why?” Michael burst into laughter at the disgusted look on Gavin’s face, finishing Ray’s sandwich and placing it in front of him before turning to face Gavin once more, fixing him with an expectant look. “I’ll just have the same as Ray, that looks tasty.” Michael rolled his eyes, but fixed up a sandwich for Gavin as well before bringing both his sandwich and Gavin’s to the table, sliding the plate in front of the Brit as he settled into his seat. Gavin took half of the sandwich, taking a bite and letting out a soft moan. Michael and Ray both shot a look at him, and he flushed, chewing quickly. “It’s just, real food tastes so good right now. I had nothing but oatmeal for a week. Oatmeal! It feels like eons since I had something with taste.” Michael’s expression softened some at that, and Ray shifted to pull the kettle off of it’s base to bring to the table. He glanced at the cupboard that held the mugs and tea, frowning some before sighing and getting up. 

“I’m going to tell Geoff that everything should be accessible from my spot at the table. “ Michael chuckled behind him as he took out three mugs, placing them on the table before getting out a box of tea for Gavin, a canister of instant coffee for Michael and a canister of hot chocolate for himself. Preparing the drinks, he slid Gavin his mug before moving to get the milk from the fridge for his own and Michael's. 

“I don’t think Geoff’s gunna rearrange his entire kitchen to suit your laziness, dude. He had this entire room built for...what did he call it?” Michael glanced at Gavin, who snorted as he reached for his tea. 

“Maximum accessibility to the chef.” He took a drink, then chuckled as he picked up his sandwich again. “I think he went through three designers when he had this place made. And in the end he just designed it himself anyways.” Ray shook his head, sitting back down and picking up his mug to drink from as the three ate in silence, thoughts drifting from Geoff’s kitchen. 

“So how do you think they’re doing out there, anyways? Think any of them caught a fish yet?” Gavin snorted at Ray’s words, shaking his head lightly as he finished off the first half of his sandwich. 

“No bloody way. Geoff’s probably already drunk and fallen asleep, even.” Michael laughed, taking a bite of his sandwich as Gavin shifted in his seat, looking over his shoulder towards the large windowed area that lead to the patio. He was quiet for a moment before turning back to the table with a small frown. “Dan’s coming here, Michael. He’s not pleased about being left out of the loop...I’m a little worried he might cause a fight with Geoff.” Ray snorted, and Michael let out a barking laugh as Gavin frowned at them. 

“Dan? Start a fight with Geoff? I’d pay to see that happen. Seriously.” Michael’s tone was amused, and Gavin gave an annoyed huff as he crossed his arms over his chest. 

“He’s a right fright when he’s mad, Michael! You’ve only ever seen him cheery and docile, but he’s scary when he’s angry!” Michael shook his head, reaching for his coffee mug and taking a sip to settle himself. 

“Yeah but seriously, Gav, I can’t even imagine Dan mad. He’s like...the chillest dude ever. I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Gavin groaned, and Ray reached out to pat his arm with a soft smile. 

“Dude we’ll be there to act as a buffer. And as soon as he sees you’re alright and shit I’m sure he’ll be good.” Sighing, Gavin wrapped his hands around his mug, letting his head drop some before glancing up. 

“I hope you’re right.” He took another sip of his tea, wincing some as he flexed his wrist slightly. Michael caught Ray’s eye, nodding towards the counter as he reached to take Gavin’s plate from him. 

“You startin’ to hurt, Gavvy?” Gavin gave a small shrug, knowing that admitting that his pain killers were beginning to wear off meant taking more pills. Michael rolled his eyes and Ray set down the pill bottle on the table, waiting a moment before placing his own bottle of meds down as well. 

“If you take yours, I’ll take mine. We can be loopy dorks together.” Gavin glanced at Ray, who grinned at him and held up a glass of water for them to share. Gavin smiled some, reaching for his bottle, but Michael was quicker; opening the pill bottle he took out two small pills, placing them on the table before reaching for Rays to do the same for him. 

“You know who can’t take fucking medication? Babies. That’s who. I swear to god the two of you are actually toddlers.” The demo man’s voice held a tone of teasing, and Gavin stuck his tongue out at him as he reached for the pills and the glass. Wrinkling his nose, he popped the two pills in his mouth, gagging slightly before taking a huge swig of water, swallowing hard. He handed the glass to Ray, who took the pills with a little less trouble, and Michael leaned back in his chair to offer up an over dramatic golf clap. Ray flipped him off, and Gavin let out a whine as Michael moved to clear the table of the rest of their dishes. 

“Don’t be mean, Michael, it’s really hard to take pills! They get stuck in my throat and I can feel them and it’s gross!” Michael snorted, placing the plates in the sink before turning back to watch the two men slowly get up from the table, both taking their time. 

“That’s a sad story, Gavin. Tragic, even. Come on, lets get the two of you into a bed before those pills kick in. You’re both ridiculously loopy when you’re on them and I, for one, am not picking you up off the floor when you roll off the couch every ten minutes.” He gestured for them to lead the way out of the kitchen, watching them carefully as they went out into the hallway and towards the stairs. He followed them up the stairs, guiding them into the closest bedroom to sprawl onto the bed, Gavin giggling as Ray nearly bounced off of it. “Alright. Get some rest, you two. I’m going to go check in with the geezers and then I’ll come back to check on you, alright?” Ray nodded, reaching to tug Michael down to give him a kiss before turning to face plant into the pillows with a muffled noise. Gavin grinned, leaning to kiss Michael as well before joining Ray, shifting until he was half laying on the smaller man, curled around him. Michael chuckled, shaking his head as he turned to leave the room, closing the door and leaning against. He rubbed his hands over his face, taking a slow, shaky breath as his smile faded from his lips. 

“They’re alright.” He let his head drop back against the door, willing himself to breath as a coil of anxiety wrapped itself around him. “They’re both perfectly fine. Gavin’s in the bedroom and he’s fine.” He repeated the words to himself a few times before taking a deep breath, pushing himself off of the door and brushing his hands over himself. “We’re fine.” He gave a nod, taking a few steps away from the door before spinning on his heel, his hand grasping the doorknob and turning it before he could even really register what he was doing. Pushing the door open quietly, he peered in, taking in the snuggled up forms of the two men in the bed. Watching them a moment, he then closed the door again, shaking his head and turning to go down the hall to find the others, shaken by his own behavior.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is sort of a filler chapter. I feel like I need to apologize to my smol son though. Whoops.

Ryan shook his head as he watched Geoff’s lazy attempt at reeling in his line with his toes, chuckling as the older man’s rod tipped precariously towards the water. They hadn’t caught anything in the time that they’d been down on the dock; not surprising, really, seeing as the three men hadn’t really been trying to catch anything. Mostly they sat in a content silence, enjoying the warm weather and the quiet of the afternoon. 

“You’re going to lose that rod, Geoff. Just lean forward and pick it up, stop being lazy.” Jack’s tone was teasing as he cast his line, leaning back in his lawn chair as he watched his lure dip below the water's surface. Geoff made a noise at him, shifting in his seat to try and pull the rod closer with his feet as Ryan reeled his own line in beside him. 

“You’re just jealous that you don’t have mad feet fishing skills, man.” Jack snorted, shaking his head as he reached beside him to pick up his bottle of beer, taking a sip of it before wrinkling his nose, handing it to Geoff. 

“Here, drink this. It’s warm.” Geoff made a face, but took the beer regardless of it’s warmth to take a drink from. Ryan leaned to pull his can of soda from where he’d tucked it into the cooler’s ice, taking a sip and smacking his lips at the cool liquid. 

“Should’a kept it in the cooler like I did, Jack.” Jack flicked some condensation at him, and Ryan laughed as he ducked back slightly. “Well it’s not my fault you didn’t think of it.” Jack snorted, shaking his line some as he shook his head. 

“No, but you could have mentioned it when you saw I put my beer on the ground. Jerk.” Geoff snickered, finally giving in and leaning for his rod as Jack cast a glance towards the cabin. He could faintly make out movement in the living room, and he waited a moment before turning his attention back to the men sitting with him. “So have we heard back from Kdin and Mica yet?” Geoff frowned, shaking his head as he began to reel his line in.

“No, but I did tell them not to contact us unless they had an update. I guess they’re getting Jeremy to help them- guy’s been nothing but helpful, which is good. Still not sure if I trust him or not…” He shrugged, and Ryan gave his rod a wiggle before turning his attention back to the conversation. 

“I’m not going to pretend I’m not suspicious of his possible motivations for helping us rescue Gavin, but...he did help us. And Burnie has all eyes on him, I’m sure that he’ll let us know if anything happens.” Geoff nodded, and Ryan shrugged. “We’ll cross that path when we get to it, right? And until Mica and Kdin have an answer for us, there’s not a lot we can do. So let’s just enjoy our time here for now, huh?” The three fell into silence for a moment, looking out over the lake, and behind them, Michael’s voice called out over the yard. 

“Did you assholes catch anything yet?” Jack leaned back in his seat, looking over his shoulder as the younger man approached them. He looked a bit pale, and Jack’s smile faded to a frown as Michael reached the dock. 

“No. You alright?” Michael shrugged, moving to shove Geoff’s rod out of his lap to sit down. Geoff gave him a curious look, wrapping his arms around the younger man’s waist as Michael shifted until he was comfortable, reaching for the cooler to snag himself a beer. 

“Yeah. No. I..shit, I don’t know. It sort of hit me that like….” He shook his head, pulling Geoff’s arms tighter around him. “It’s nothing. I just, I’m just really glad we’re here. All of us. I think this breaks going to be good for us, you know?” Ryan nodded, taking a sip of his beer as he watched Michael closely. The younger man seemed to relax some while sitting with Geoff; clearly some sort of tension had built up while he’d been inside with Ray and Gavin. 

“Did something come up while you were up there with the lads, Michael?” His tone was casual, and Michael cast him a look as he shifted some. He took a moment to reply, thinking over his words before he spoke them. 

“I...I put them to bed, right, but when I went to come downstairs I just….froze. Like my leaving them was going to make them disappear. Like if I wasn’t watching them, if there wasn’t one of us watching...he’d just vanish.” His voice was small, and Ryan reached to place an arm on his back as Michael kept talking. “It’s stupid, right. I know he’s safe here. I know we’re all pretty safe here, but I just…” he trailed off, and Jack cleared his throat. 

“But you just feel like you can’t take your eyes off of him, right?” Michael nodded, and Jack sighed, reeling in his line and putting his rod aside to turn to face Michael and Geoff. “It’s perfectly natural to feel like that, Michael. We all-” he gestured around the circle at the other gents, “- feel that way. But he’s not going to just vanish. I know we were all shook up by this whole incident but-” 

“This wasn’t a fucking incident, Jack! Did you see those burn marks? Did you see his fucking wrists? He could have fucking died while we were pissing around trying to find him!” Geoff rubbed Michael’s arm as Jack shrank back from Michael some, cheeks flushing at the other man’s words. 

“Hey. Don’t yell at Jack, Michael. We were all there. We were all scared.” Michael turned to glare at Ryan, his body stiff as he tried to control his sudden rage. 

“What do you know, you weren’t even THERE Ryan. Where the fuck were you that whole week? You weren’t with us that’s for damn sure.” Michael’s words were bitter, harsh, and Ryan winced at the implication of them. 

“I was out looking for a way to get rid of my frustration. Trying to find more information out about the Corpirate. I know I wasn’t...there. And I’m sorry, Michael, but I couldn’t just sit around waiting.” Michael struggled out of Geoff’s lap, standing to point at Ryan as he hovered over him. 

“You think we could? It fucking killed me that there was nothing we could do for a week. But at least I was there, at least I stayed at home and was miserable with everyone instead of going off to fuck knows where to do whatever by myself.” Ryan glanced away, unable to watch Michael as he balled his fists, beginning to pace the small area of the dock not occupied by chairs. “You were gone and everyone was fucked up and Gavin was all alone. We left him all alone for a week in that place, and some asshole could have, could have done something to him. Some asshole almost did and we were almost too late and-” Geoff stood, quickly, placing his hands on Michael’s shoulders to spin him to face him. 

“Michael. Take a deep breath. You’re starting to hyperventilate.” Geoff’s tone was commanding, his entire demeanor in control as he stared Michael down. The younger man took a deep breath, closing his eyes as beside him, Jack stood from his chair. 

“Let’s go back inside, Michael. Gavin’s okay, we’re all okay and safe and home. It’s okay.” Michael shook his head, and Geoff pulled him against him, wrapping his arms around the younger man to hold him against him. 

“It’s okay buddy. It’s alright.” Michael buried his face in Geoff’s shoulder, letting out a muffled noise as he clung to the older man’s shirt. Ryan stood, moving to gather the fishing gear as he avoided looking at Michael, still stung by the words the other man had spat at him. 

“I’ll bring this stuff up.” He muttered, grabbing the rods and the cooler and turning towards the cabin. Jack frowned as he watched the other man go, turning back to geoff and Michael as Geoff spoke quietly in Michael’s ear. A moment later, Michael nodded, pulling back to wipe his hand over his face before turning to look at Jack, eyes red tinged. 

“Shit, Jack...I’m sorry. I sort of blew up on everyone...I didn’t mean to yell at you.” Jack’s gaze softened and he reached to pull Michael against him, hugging him tight. 

“You’ve been holding all this in, Michael. It’s alright. But you and Ryan need to talk about what you said to him...that wasn’t okay. You know he was just as affected by this as you were, and you were out of line with what you said to him.” Michael nodded, and Jack pressed a kiss to his lips before pulling away. “Let’s go inside.” Michael nodded, and Geoff moved to walk on Michael’s other side as the three made their way up to the cabin. Before they could reach the door, Michael paused, glancing up towards the second story for a moment before reaching for the door. 

“We’ll all be okay right?” His voice was small, and Jack reached to squeeze his shoulder with a smile. 

“We’ll be alright, Michael. Come on, let’s go in.” Michael nodded, and the trio entered the cabin in silence.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter could be triggering for the following: Accidental abandonment, past child abuse mention, emotional trauma. This chapter was really hard to write, and it bounces around emotionally a bit....
> 
> On an up-note, Gavin's treehouse is based off of the HemLoft here in Canada - you can check it out at http://thehemloft.com for a better idea of what it looks like.

“What if...Ray. Ray what if your fingers just turned into snakes one day?” Ray’s snickers were muffled by the pillow he had pulled over his face, his hand patting around the bed until it landed on Gavin’s face. 

“What the fuck, I’ll take snake fingers. Could be cool. “ Gavin gave a dramatic gasp, grasping Ray’s hand to press it to his cheek. 

“Noooo, Ray! What if they bit your dick while you were having a piss?” Ray’s entire body shook with the force of his laughter, and he pulled the pillow from his face to look at the other man. 

“You have a beautifully weird mind, Vav. I don’t even...how do you come up with these stupid questions?” Gavin frowned, shifting a little to lay on his side to face Ray properly. 

“Well they just come to my brain, don’t they?” Ray rose a brow and Gavin made an exasperated noise, rolling onto his stomach to press against the sniper. “They just happen!” Ray shook his head, reaching to pull Gavin against him as they fell quiet. The medication was making them both a bit loopy, which was, honestly, a nice change from the anxiety of the past week. They had the window propped open, a warm breeze bringing the soft noises of the outside with it. 

“Do you think Michael’s okay?” The thought had been on his mind since the other man had left them, the way he’d suddenly come back in the room worrying Ray some. Michael was good at pretending things didn't bother him when he had to, but Ray could see the tension the other man was carrying with him. Gavin gave a small sigh, curling against Ray some. 

“I think he’s...scared. “ Ray cast a curious look at the Brit, waiting for him to continue his train of thought. “He doesn't like problems he can’t just...punch out of existence. He’s upset and I don’t think he knows how to talk about it. “ Ray thought on Gavin’s words a moment then nodded. 

“Yeah, that makes sense. I’m just worried man. Everyone’s so messed up over this, what if shit gets intense? What if like...I don’t know. What if everyone freaks and leaves and it’s just me stuck here forever because no one else will talk about their feelings?” Gavin shifted some, giving Ray a worried look. 

“You don’t really think that would happen, do you? Ray?” He reached to take the younger man’s face in his hands, wiggling until he was laying half over him to look at him proper. “Ray, we all love each other. I love you, and I love all the others. And I know you love me and you love them. And they all love us. No one’s going to leave us here, no matter how mingy things seem.” Ray sighed, leaning up slightly to press their foreheads together as he let out a slow breath. 

“But what if one of us does leave, Gavin?” Gavin frowned, leaning back some to watch Ray with furrowed brows. That was the second time Ray had mentioned that, and he was worried that Ray was starting to doubt their entire relationship. “What if in the end I’m here all alone, huh? What if everything falls apart?”

“You will not-” Gavin’s voice wavered slightly, his fingers brushing over Ray’s cheeks lightly, “-be left behind.” The two men stared at each other for a long moment before Ray looked away. Gavin made a noise of discontent, opening his mouth to say more when yelling came through the window, causing both of them to still. 

“What the hell is that?” Ray shifted away from Gavin, rolling off the bed to make his way to the window. Gavin followed, peering over his shoulder at the scene outside. Michael seemed to be yelling at Ryan, his volume loud but his words unintelligible from the distance he stood. Ray stiffened as Ryan suddenly stood up, and they watched as the older man gathered the fishing rods and started towards the cabin, a dark look on his face. “Are they fighting?” Ray’s voice was small, and Gavin leaned against him, wrapping his arms around the other man’s waist. 

“Looks like it...maybe Michael’s letting his feelings out?” Gavin’s tone was barely hopeful, and Ray turned to look at him with a flat stare. Gavin winced, taking a step back, and Ray sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. 

“We should go see what happened. He looked upset." Gavin nodded, turning to leave the room and taking Ray’s hand as he did. The two left the bedroom, both a bit unstable as the made their way down the hall. Below them, the cabin door slammed open, and Gavin leaned over the rail to glance down below. Ryan stood in the middle of the living room, setting down the rods, his shoulders hunched. Gavin moved to call out to him, but stopped as Michael entered behind Ryan nervously. Behind them, Gavin could see Geoff and Jack on the patio, and he squeezed Ray’s hand as he sat on the floor to listen. Ray knelt beside him, wrapping his free hand around a rail as they watched Michael approach Ryan.

“Ryan, I’m sorry I said that shit. I was….I didn’t mean it, I was just mad and scared, I swear I didn’t mean it.” Ryan stilled as Michael touched his shoulder, silence hanging between them a moment before the older man spoke, his voice flat. 

“If you think, for one minute, that I wasn’t as affected by this, that...that I wasn’t as terrified of losing him as the rest of you, Michael….I was. I have never wanted to be this close to another human being in my life, and now suddenly, suddenly there are five people that I’m petrified of losing. This is way, way beyond my area of expertise and I didn’t know how to deal with it. So no, I wasn’t there at the penthouse. And I’m sorry I wasn’t. But don’t you dare, ever, try to tell me that I wasn’t as devastated as everyone else was.” Michael winced, taking a small step back as Ryan straightened up some. 

“I know you were. I was just, you know, lashing out. This whole things fucked me up, Ry, is still fucking me up. I can’t even-” he paused, casting a glanced towards the landing Ray and Gavin sat on. The two pulled back, completely hidden in the shadows, and Michael continued talking, “-I can’t even look at him without feeling like I fucking failed him. It took us almost an hour to even realize he was gone, Ryan. How much less time would he have been there if we’d noticed he was gone sooner?” His voice, usually the loudest and surest of them all, was small; something in his tone caused Gavin to back away from the rail some, his eyes darting from Michael to Ray. Ray had stilled, his face pale as he watched Michael and Ryan, but he looked at Gavin at Michael’s words. 

“You didn’t notice I wasn’t in one of the get-away cars?” Gavin practically whispered the words, and Ray’s eyes widened as he tightened his grip on Gavin’s hand as the other man stared at him expectedly. “It took you an hour...an hour, Ray?” The hurt washed over Gavin’s face, and Ray sputtered some. 

“Everything was so crazy, Gavin. We...no one kept track of who was suppose to be in what car, and when we did checks after getting back to our territory we- I swear, dude, as soon as we realized we all freaked out and started looking for you. “ Ray’s words were frantic, even as Gavin tried to pull away from him some. “Vav, please….please don’t take it the wrong way. Please, don’t….don’t go away, Gavin. I swear we were worried and scared about you.” He was pleading, holding tight to Gavin’s hand, a look of desperation on his face as Gavin stilled. “Please, Gavin…I would have noticed sooner but I’d gotten shot at and everything was a mess, dude, shit.” Gavin pulled his hand back, bringing it to his chest as he backed up against the railing more. 

“An hour, Ray?” Gavin’s eyes tracked over Ray’s face, as though hoping that Ray’s words were a joke, taking in the utter fear in the other man’s eyes. Part of him was so upset, he could barely think; they hadn’t even realized he wasn’t there at first. They hadn’t noticed he was gone. The other part of him could see how horrified Ray was, how terrified the younger man was about it. He could see the way Ray’s mind was thinking, that Gavin was going to cut ties. That he’d run. That he’d do the one thing that terrified Ray the most, and that part of him was larger than the hurt part. He took Ray’s hand again, squeezing it gently before moving to slide away from the railing, behind the wall partition. 

“Gavin, no, please come on I-” Ray’s plea’s cut off as Gavin offered him a hand up, and the sniper took the offered hand and pulled himself up, pulling Gavin into a crushing hug as though letting go meant the other man would leave. Gavin wrapped his arms around Ray and let him cling to him, silent for a moment as he thought over the others words. Michael was obviously hurting, and he’d lashed out at Ryan. Ryan, who was just upset by all that had happened as Michael. Everything was a mess and at it’s center lay him. 

“I can’t do this right now. I...I get one person not noticing, Ray. But all of you?” His voice was small, the hurt in his words almost tangible. Ray’s hands fisted in his shirt, and Gavin rested his cheek against the other man’s shoulder, letting out a soft breath as he continued to hold him. His place in the crew was always a hard topic for him; some days he knew his worth and knew that the others did too, but there were still days when he felt as though they were simply tolerating his being there. With their newly budding relationship, it was even harder; he wanted to believe that they all wanted him there, but there was a small part of him that was never sure. Even with Burnie, he’d had days where he couldn’t believe they were together, that they were married. His arms tightened around Ray for a moment, his eyes closing as he weighed his options. He was hurt- he’d never expected that they hadn’t even noticed he was missing, had just assumed they had known immediately when he was taken- but logically, logically he knew that if he’d been taken without anyone noticing the heist must have ended in chaos. He knew that Ray, fragile, on edge Ray who was constantly ready to bolt at any moment, would take his pulling away too hard, that he was already preparing himself for the worse now. And though he was hurt, very much so… “I can’t...I need to get out of here for a little bit. I need to...to process this. I-I’m not going to lie to you, Ray, it hurts that you lot didn’t notice me not there but….but I know…” he trailed off, unsure of his words, and Ray tightened his grip on him, almost painfully so. 

“Gav, please don’t go. Don’t leave us.” He almost didn’t catch Ray’s words, and they tugged at his heart as he pressed his face to Ray’s shoulder. 

“I’m just going outside, Ray. You…” He paused, then pulled back some, offering him a watery smile. “You can come too. That way you know I’m not leaving for good. Okay?” It was a compromise; he wanted to be alone, really, but he knew that the minute he was he’d be craving the affection of someone else. Ray nodded, releasing his grip on Gavin some to take his hand instead, and Gavin lead them towards the bedroom again, frowning as he looked around. Grabbing up the blanket and two pillows, he handed the pillows to Ray and nodded towards the door again. Going back out on the landing, they looked down to the first floor; the others appeared to have gone, probably into the kitchen. Geoff and Jack were nowhere to be seen, and Gavin gestured for Ray to be quiet as they made their way downstairs. Stepping out onto the back deck, Gavin glanced around, his eyes scanning the back yard for a moment before turning to Ray, a frown in place. “I don’t know where to go…” Ray glanced around, perking up some when he recalled something.

“Oh dude, I know where to go. Come on.” Gavin nodded, letting Ray lead him towards the woods. He noted that there seemed to be a path that hadn’t been there the last time the crew had been at Paradise, and as they reached a clearing he immediately spotted the reason why. 

“Is that...when did that get built?” Ray turned some, a small smile gracing his lips at the awed look on Gavin’s face. The tree house wasn’t all that large; not a child’s tree house by any means, but not too large either. The tree house itself was egg shaped, built around a large oak tree with circular steps leading up to a small balcony. Gavin let himself stare for a moment, taking in the panelling and the multitude of windows before turning back to Ray. “Whose is this?” Ray chuckled, taking Gavin’s hand and leading him up to the balcony. There was a small table built against the wall, a little cooking station with a portable little gas grill and some cooking utensils, and over the door was a sign. Gavin couldn’t help the grin as he read it, his cheeks flushing some as a bit of his hurt from earlier fell away. 

“Well I mean it says Gavin’s Roost but really, that could be any Gavin, right?” Ray’s tone was teasing, and Gavin gave him a small nudge as he reached to open the door. The inside was small, a shelf with some photos beside the door and a small room with a few seats and a bookshelf all that was really contained in it, but Gavin loved it. It felt cozy; barely bigger than the cell he’d been in, but so much more open, so much brighter. He turned to Ray, eyes glassy as he felt himself tearing up. 

“Who….when? What?” Ray laughed, taking Gavin by the shoulders and steering him onto the little sofa that sat in the corner of the small room. 

“Geoff had it made for you. I hadn’t come to check it out before now either, but like...I saw it from the roof of the cabin last night, so I knew where it was. Do you like it?” Gavin nodded, still looking around the little room in awe. 

“I really do. It’s bloody perfect. I...Geoff did this? For me?” He turned his attention back to Ray, who nodded, his smile fading a bit. 

“I know...that you’re upset. I would be too. And everyone’s….like, everyone’s fucked up right now, and it’s shitty. I get that. But we love you. It’s like, it’s what you said earlier. No one’s going to get left behind. We’re going to work through this shit together, even if there’s a lot of yelling and crying and shit. Right?” Gavin nodded, and Ray settled beside him on the sofa, pulling the blanket over them and resting the pillows to the side. Gavin hesitated a moment before curling against Ray, moving his arm to pull it around him as he took another glance around the room. 

“It’s...okay that I still want to just be here alone with you for a bit though, yeah? I’m still hurt. I just...I get it, I do. Stuff happens all the time and sometimes things get lost in the mix. It use to happen to me a lot when I was living at home so I should be use to it but….” He shrugged, and Ray pressed a kiss to his forehead, nodding some. 

“Hey man, take all the time you need. I got you.” Gavin smiled up at him thankfully, and the two fell into silence, just letting the serene quiet of nature fall over them.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did I say this story was about healing? Whoops.

“Can we agree that I was out of line, and I’m sorry?” Ryan looked up from where he was putting away the fishing rods, glancing at Michael and taking in the look on his face. The other man watched him, sitting at the island in the middle of the kitchen as Ryan moved to put the kettle on, his entire being emanating sorrow as he stared at Ryan. 

“I’ll agree to that. You need to think about your words before you speak them, Michael.” Michael groaned, letting his head drop to the counter as Jack entered the kitchen behind him, giving Ryan a confused look. “He’s admitted to being out of line. We’re okay now.” Jack nodded, and Michael looked up again to watch the older man as he made his way to root around in the pantry. 

“Does someone want to go check on Gav and Ray? I really fucking hope that all didn’t wake them up if they were sleeping or anything, shit.” Jack frowned, moving to sit beside Michael with a bag of chips, offering the younger man some. 

“Geoff went to check on them. So we’re all done with the yelling and the being upset with each other?” He gave them a pointed look, and Michael wilted again, burying his face in his arms as Ryan sat down on the stool across from him. 

“I get it, I’m an asshole. Jesus, Jack, let me die in peace.” Jack chuckled, reaching to ruffle Michael’s curls as Ryan smiled at the man’s dramatic noises. 

“We’re good, Jack. Promise.” All three men looked up as Geoff pushed open the door to the kitchen, a worried frown on his face as he glanced around. Jack gave him a questioning look as he shook his head, brushing past him to look out the back deck through the door connecting to it from the kitchen. 

“They aren’t up there.” Michael’s head shot up, looking at Geoff as the older man ran a hand over his face. “The blanket and some pillows are missing too. I’m wondering if they took off in their drug induced idiocy and are sleeping in the fucking woods somewhere or something.” He shook his head, moving to open the door before pausing to look at Michael and Ryan carefully. “Are we alright here?” Michael nodded, and Ryan waved his hand some, turning to slid off his stool and get a coffee mug as the kettle went off. Michael’s phone’s text tone went off, and he pulled the phone from his pocket to look at it as Geoff poked his head out the door to look around. 

“Shit. Fuck.” Geoff pulled back to look at him, and Michael let out a groan as he shot off a text and put his phone down on the island. “Gavin fucking heard us fighting. Ray brought him out to the tree house because he was so devastated that we didn’t fucking notice he was missing for an hour Ray thought he was going to run away and shit.” Geoff closed the door, leaning against it as he paled some.

“Fuck. Should I go to the tree house?” Michael shook his head, holding up his phone for Geoff to read the text as he spoke the words out loud that Ray had sent him. 

“Gav heard you fight. Knows it took an hour to realize he wasn’t there. Thought he was going to run so brought to tree house, don’t come. Needs alone time.” Jack leant back in his chair, letting out a soft breath as he took in the words, and Ryan poured his coffee, moving to sit back down in silence. 

“He wasn’t meant to hear that.” Ryan’s voice was quiet, and the other three looked at him as he took a sip of his coffee before speaking again. “But he did, and it probably hurt him. But Gavin’s smarter than we all give him credit for. If we explain how chaotic it was, he’ll understand. He just needs time to process it, and Ray is with him.” Michael nodded, and Geoff moved to sit down next to Ryan as Jack shifted in his seat, frowning. 

“I don’t like the thought of the two of them out there in a tree house on pain killers, Ryan. What if one of them falls off? What if they need more painkillers, or Gavin’s fever gets worse?” Geoff reached out to take Jack’s hand, patting it as he gave him a small smile. 

“I think they’ll be alright, Jack. We won’t leave them out there too long, alright? But if Gavin needs space and time, we should give it to him. As hard as this all was on us, it’s probably a hundred times worse for him, right?” Jack nodded, and Geoff settled back in his seat. “We...really should talk about all this shit though. Together. All six of us. That’s part of why we came out here to be alone.” Michael frowned a little at that, sitting up properly as the words tickled at his brain. 

“Shit, I feel like I’m forgetting something. Something about being alone up here…” Jack groaned, running a hand over his face as he caught on to what Michael had forgotten. 

 

“Dan.” Geoff gave Jack a confused look, and the pilot sighed, slouching in his seat a little. “Dan called Gavin this morning. He’s taking the first flight out here tomorrow, and he’s not happy.” Geoff sighed, letting his head lull back some before turning on his stool to press his forehead against Ryan’s arm with a groan. 

“I should have called him when this shit started, huh?” His voice was defeated, as though he’d been having the argument with himself over if it had been right to keep Dan out of the loop and he was constantly coming up wrong, and Jack reached across the island to pat Geoff’s arm some as Michael made a noise of agreement. 

“Probably, Geoff. You know how close they are. We should have realized that once he found out he’d come here…” Geoff nodded at Jack’s words, and Michael shifted on his stool to lean against Jack. 

“We didn’t really handle this well, did we?” All eyes turned to Michael at his words, and the youngest offered them a shrug as he cast a glance out the window. “I mean, shit. I thought that we’d come here, maybe talk about what happened, Gavin would have a nightmare or two and we’d all move on. I hoped that was what was going to happen. But that was dumb thinking. We should have listened to Caleb.” Caleb had suggested that they see someone, professionally, about what had happened; Geoff had laughed it off, claiming that they didn’t need to see someone and could figure everything out between them without having to rely on a shrink. 

“Yeah, that...might have been a good idea.” The group fell silent, and after a moment Geoff let out a groan, sitting up straight again. “But we’ll get through this. We’re the motherfucking Fake AH Crew. And…” His expression softened some. “I love you dickheads too much to let this ruin us, alright?” Michael gave him a small grin, and Ryan shifted to wrap an arm around his waist to pull him closer. “And if Gavin needs time, we give him all the time he needs.” Jack nodded, and Geoff crossed his arms over his chest, as though his words were some great proclamation. The group settled, Ryan moving to make the others coffee as Geoff and Jack began to regale Michael with stories of their fishing, the younger man snorting as Geoff exaggerated some things in his retelling, hands waving about wildly as Jack tried not to laugh. The peace was broken as the sound of tires on the gravel driveway came from the front yard, and Geoff frowned as he stood up. “Were we expecting anyone today?” Jack shook his head, moving to get up as well, Michael and Ryan following as Geoff pushed open the door to the living room to go out into the entry way. Opening the front door, they spotted a black sedan coming up the drive, and they waited for the driver to come to a halt and get out of the car, both curious and cautious.

“Ramsey.” The distinctively british voice was more than familiar, and some of the tension seeped from the group as Dan stepped from the sedan, a dark look on his face as he stared at Geoff. Michael took a step away from Geoff, looking between the two men as Dan approached, and Jack bit his lip as he tried not to chuckle at the terrified look on Geoff’s face. Ryan remained where he stood, keeping an eye on Dan as the mercenary stopped a step away from their leader, his fists balled at his side. Geoff opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted as Dan swung at him, casting an impressive right hook to Geoff’s jaw as Ryan reached out to keep Geoff from falling flat on his ass. Jack coughed, reaching out to touch Dan’s shoulder but stopping as the man turned to point at him, fury written across his face. “Don’t think you’re off the bloody hook either, Pattillo. I am well pissed off at the lot of you. A whole week and not one bloody phone call? Where is he?” Michael, still standing partly behind Jack, cleared his throat as he peeked around the redhead to smile weakly at Dan.

“Gavin’s with Ray in the tree house. He uh. Wanted to be alone and shit.” He winced some as Dan turned to face him, stepping out from behind Jack to stand in front of the other man. He rubbed the back of his neck, a bit tense as he watched Dan look around, clearly looking for said tree house. Geoff straightened up, rubbing his jaw as he opened and closed his mouth a few times to ensure his jaw was still intact. 

“Fuck, was that really necessary, dude? Look, I’m sorry we didn’t contact you. Shit was pretty crazy. I’ll take you to see him but if he wants to be alone once we get there, you gotta respect that okay? He’s not in the best place right now.” Dan’s scowl darkened, and Geoff held up his hands in surrender as he took a step back. “For his sake, dude! Seriously, for his sake.” Dan’s shoulders relaxed slightly, and he ran a hand through his hair as he shifted back on his heels some.

“I’m not sorry I hit you.” Ryan snorted, and Dan shot him a look before turning his attention back to Geoff. “I’m well upset with the lot of you. But Gavin takes priority right now.” Michael nodded as he gestured for Dan to follow him, stepping around Geoff as he began to lead the small group towards the back of the cabin. 

“That’s fair. Maybe no more punching people in the face for the time being? Like, I’d have done the same but Gavin just sort of saw us fighting and I don’t think he wants to see more of it…” Michael trailed off as Dan fixed him with a look, and he gave a nervous laugh as they came into the back yard. 

“I left him with you because I trusted the lot of you to take care of him. Kidnap? And for a week? What the bloody hell were you doing for a week that you didn’t rescue him immediately?” Jack cleared his throat at the question, drawing Dan’s attention for a moment as they started towards the edge of the woods. 

“We had some trouble tracking him. It took a bit to locate him properly, we got to him as soon as we were able to, Dan. We didn’t just leave him there.” Dan frowned, turning then to Geoff and Ryan. 

“Did you kill the kidnapper?” Geoff hesitated a moment, glancing at the others, but Ryan was the one to answer, his tone flat as they stepped onto the path leading to where the tree house was. 

“Everyone involved but him. He got away. But we’re tracking him down now. And he won’t escape again.” He stated the words matter-of-factly, his tone without infliction as they paused to stare at him. 

“Yes. That’s….pretty much it. Kdin and Mica are looking into it, along with the guy who helped us get Gavin out, Dooley. Gavin...doesn’t know. About Corpirate.” Dan’s gaze moved from Ryan to Jack, narrowing his eyes some at the other man’s words. “We thought it might be detrimental to his recovery. We’re going to tell him, just...not yet.” Geoff shifted awkwardly, gesturing for Dan to keep moving as he took over talking from Jack, the pilot falling quiet as they approached the tree house. 

“I’m going to go up first, check on them. Then I’ll call you up.” Dan’s frown grew as he reached out to take Geoff’s shoulder, gripping a bit tighter than necessary as he glanced up at the small tree house. 

“No. I’m going to go up, and you can stay down here. He’s not a wild animal, Ramsey.” Geoff’s expression hardened at Dan’s words, and he squared his shoulders as he glared at Dan. 

“Did I fucking say he was?” The two stared at each other for a long moment before Ryan cleared his throat, catching their attention. 

“Alright, boys. Let’s put this fight on the back burner, because all we need to upset Gavin and Ray again.” Geoff deflated at the words, turning his attention to the door of the tree house as Michael shouldered past them to put a foot on the steps. 

“How about I go up. Ray texted me, so it makes sense. You guys can just chill down here and get your shit together in the meantime.” He started up the steps, reaching the door to knock lightly on it before pushing it open. He spotted Ray and Gavin curled up on the sofa, offering Ray a small smile as he closed the door behind him and entered the small room. “Hey. I know you guys wanted to be left alone and shit, but uh...Dan’s here.” Gavin perked up slightly from where he was sprawled in Ray’s lap, struggling to pull himself up into a sitting position. Ray helped him, gently guiding him with a hand on his back before turning his attention back to Michael. 

“Dan the Man’s here?” Michael nodded, and Ray grinned as he looped an arm around Gavin’s waist, resting his cheek against the older man’s shoulder. “You wanna see Dan, dude?” Gavin gave a small nod, leaning heavily against Ray, and Michael took a moment to take in how the other man looked. While Ray seemed to be a bit more coherent than when he had left them in the bedroom, Gavin appeared to be barely capable of sitting up by himself, leaning heavily on Ray and watching Michael as he moved closer in a dazed manner. 

“You doin’ alright there Gavvy?” Michael fixed Gavin with a worried look, noting the flush to his cheeks and cursing internally. They’d gotten caught up in all the fighting between them, they hadn’t checked in on Gavin’s health; reaching forward, he placed a hand on Gavin’s forehead and hissed at the heat rolling off of him. “Ray, why didn’t you say he was burning up? Jesus…” Ray frowned, brushing some of the hair back from Gavin’s forehead as the other man made a noise, pressing against the hands on his face. 

“Wanna see Dan.” Michael’s frown grew at Gavin’s words, but turned to open the door to let Dan enter the now slightly crowded tree house. Dan brushed past him, kneeling in front of the sofa and placing his hands on Gavin’s knees as he glanced up at him worriedly. 

“B? I caught an earlier flight, how are you doing?” Gavin gave him a lazy smile, reaching out some to pat his cheek lightly as Ray and Michael exchanged a look over the top of his head. 

“You would have known immediately, wouldn’t you, B?” Dan’s brow furrowed in confusion as Gavin’s fingers traced over his face, the smaller man cooing some as he pressed his fingertips against Dan’s forehead. 

“Would have known what, B?” Gavin let his hand drop, leaning back against Ray as his focus shifted to the wall behind Dan for a moment with a soft hum before he returned his gaze to the merc. 

“That I was gone from the start.” Dan glanced at Michael, who rubbed the back of his neck as he shifted slightly, caught off guard by the inquisitive look that was being given to him. 

“We didn’t immediately notice he’d been grabbed in all the chaos. Took about an hour.” Dan stood, an unreadable look on his face as he stepped closer to Michael, towering over him as he backed him against the wall. 

“You what?” His tone was even, but his fists, balled at his side, were shaking in held in anger as Michael held up his hands in surrender. 

“It was crazy hectic, alright? We didn’t have a chance for roll call off the bat, like, we’re already all kicking ourselves and feeling shitty about it. Worse than shitty. I’m never gunna be able to forgive myself alright? I don’t need you making me feel any shittier. We came for him as soon as possible. We did everything in our power to rescue him asap so don’t fucking go off on me.” Dan opened his mouth to respond, but the two were interrupted as behind them, Ray let out a distressed noise, drawing their attention. The sniper was holding Gavin in his arms, torn between shaking him and holding him still as Gavin lay still in his lap, staring forward. 

“Guys, what the fuck, help me out here he just fucking...malfunctioned or something. Oh god…”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My loving wife ( hit her up at http://mahoumassacre.tumblr.com cause she's fantastic) has taken over editing my fics so that we can bond. (secretly it's how I'm going to lure her into the RT fandom) 
> 
> Also, trigger warning for after effects of a seizure and Dan's beautiful being. 
> 
> God I love Dan. 
> 
> Also, trigger warning for my wife, finding out about Gavin and Burnie getting a divorce and getting really upset. Whoops.

Everything was fuzzy. 

He felt like his head was underwater, his hearing fading in and out as darkness slowly began to recede from his vision. Everything felt wrong; hazy and off center, like his world was askew and his body was offline. Light above him flickered in his peripheral, his attention torn between it and the sensation of something stroking through his hair. Sound was muffled, as though he’d fired a gun too close to his head and his ears were still trying to adjust to the noise around him. It took him a moment to realize that the noises he heard was someone talking to him. He tried to focus on the the voice, letting the familiar tone wash over him as he tried to take in the words. 

“-ar me? B, say something, yo-......-hit out o-...” Even focusing in on the words was hard, and he let his eyes drift from the glass panes of the ceiling towards the person talking to him. He tried his best to focus on him, on the words he was speaking, but it was hard.

“Do y-....-e sho-......-aleb?” A different voice; a different speaker, equally as familiar, causing him to try to look to his right, but he found his body uncooperative and he made a small noise of discontent in the back of his throat. His body ached, as though he had just done some sort of vigorous exercise that he certainly did not recall signing up for, and the suddenly multiplied amount of hands on him felt nice enough to lure him into sleep if he wasn’t careful. He felt both too hot and freezing all at once, and above him a third voice joined the others, his words a bit clearer as the haze began to fade some. 

“Get Jack. Call Caleb, Ray, here...I got him. “ he felt his body being shifted, new arms wrapping around him and-- oh. That was weird. His entire world was shifted as he was lifted, and he found himself staring at Michael’s worried face. His eyes traced the line of freckles over the other man's nose, and Michael gave him a half hearted smile as he brushed some hair from Gavin’s eyes. “Hey. Hey, are you back with us boi? You scared the shit out of us, jesus. “ Gavin opened his mouth to try to speak but found himself floundering for words, his brain feeling like it had short circuited. 

“Mca?” That wasn't a word. Michael frowned, his fingers brushing against Gavin's cheeks, as somewhere behind them a door opened and footsteps approached. 

“What happened?” Jack’s voice was controlled, and his face appeared in Gavin’s line of sight as hands joined Michaels in touching him, strong soft hands pressing against his forehead as Jack gave a hiss. “Jesus, he’s burning up. Gavin? Can you hear me?” Gavin blinked at the question, giving a whine as his body refused to cooperate with him. 

“He just, like… shut off. I don't know. What the hell happened? Is it the fever?” Ray’s voice came from somewhere behind Jack, and Gavin made another distressed noise as he struggled to try and move again, his shoulders twitching as his muscles refused to work with him. 

“It might have been. His fever’s really bad... Fuck. You good to carry him into the cabin, Michael?”

“I’ll do it. “ Dan's voice, strong and firm, left no room for argument and cut off any response Michael might have given. Gavin found himself lifted from Michaels warmth to be cradled in Dan’s arms. 

“Buubbub.” Frustration was building, his inability to form coherent words causing him to get angry at himself. Dan looked down at him, giving him the fakest smile Gavin had ever seen on his friends face, and Gavin’s lips pulled into a frown. 

“Yeah, that's what happened when he tried to talk to me… Jack, what's wrong with him?” At the other man’s words, Gavin turned his head some to focus his frown on Michael; he was still there, still could hear them. They didn't have to speak around him. 

“M’here.” There. A full word... of sorts. Michael looked surprised, turning to watch Gavin as Jack helped Ray gather up the blankets and pillows before they all started out the door. 

“I know you're here boi. Sorry. Didnt mean to like... talk around you. How’re you feeling?” Gavin let his eyes trail from Michael's face to the wall behind him, his focus fuzzy as he tried to formulate a sentence in his head. 

“Mingey.“ It was a start-- and judging by the smile that graced Michael's lips as they started down the small staircase, it had been the right thing to say. His gaze fell away from Michael as a wave of dizziness washed over him and he closed his eyes as they reached level ground, letting the movement of Dan’s easy stride anchor him some. 

“What happened?” Geoff’s voice was full of concern, and Gavin opened his eyes as calloused fingers pressed to his forehead, the older man hissing at the heat coming off of his skin. Focusing in on Geoff’s face, he watched as his eyes softened when he noticed he was being watched. “Hey, Gavvers.” Gavin tried to offer a smile, something to reassure the worry written on Geoff’s face, but he wasn’t sure that it reached his lips. He sank back against Dan’s warm chest, trying to relieve some of the guilt over the unwanted worry he was garnering. 

“His fever’s really high, Geoff. Ray called Caleb, he’s on his way, but we should take him inside and run a lukewarm bath, see if we can bring it down some. He shouldn’t have been outside at all, his immune system’s shot from the burns.” Jack’s voice was soft, and Geoff turned from Gavin’s sight to move closer to the other man. “Ray, can you tell us what happened while we walk back?” Gavin’s gaze drifted some to where Ray was standing quietly beside Ryan before turning his face into Dan’s chest, letting his eyes close as he listened. It was too hard to keep his eyes open, to try to concentrate, and he let himself sink into the darkness as the voices of those with him filled the silence around him. 

“He uh. Dan and Michael were fighting. And I was helping him sit up and then suddenly he… he like, just stiffened up and went quiet. Wouldn’t respond or anything, didn’t-… I was scared.” Ray’s voice was small, and Gavin tried to focus on it as he spoke. “He was like that for a few minutes before we came to get you… ” The voices faded out, and Gavin felt darkness pulling him in, his body feeling too warm to want to be awake. He let himself slip into nothingness, face pressed against Dan as they walked.

+++

“Gavin?” Dan frowned as he felt the body in his arms fall slack, and he stopped his stride to shift Gavin some in an attempt to look at him properly. “B? Hey, guys, he’s out again.” His voice was panicked, and ahead of him Jack and Geoff stopped to turn to him. 

“Gavin?” Geoff made his way to Dan, but was gently pushed aside as Jack approached to look the younger man over. He was quiet a moment before he glanced up, looking from Dan to Geoff with a small smile. 

“It’s alright. He’s just asleep, probably too much for his body to take right now. Come on, we should get him inside.” Dan nodded, hesitating a moment before starting off towards the cabin again. The group walked in silence, no one talking until they’d entered the building. “Take him to the upstairs bathroom. Run the tub, fill it about half way. Don’t put in him it, you don’t want to put him into shock or anything. Wash him down with a cloth. Take Ryan with you.” Dan nodded, and Ryan turned to lead him upstairs while Jack turned back to the remaining three men. “I’m going to call Caleb again, get an ETA, and I want the three of you to go make up the small bedroom.” His voice was controlled, but Geoff stepped forward to take his hand, frowning some. 

“Jack. It’s okay. Caleb will know what’s going on with him. Take a deep breath.” Jack nodded, taking a slow breath as Geoff’s hand squeezed his own. 

“You’re right. Of course you’re right, I just…” He trailed off, and Geoff brought his hand to his lips to kiss his knuckles. 

“You’re worried. We’re all worried. Caleb’s on his way and he’ll know what to do. It’ll be okay.” Jack nodded, and Michael cleared his throat to catch their attention. 

“We should set him up down here. So we can all be around him. See him. Keep an eye on him.” Ray nodded in agreement, and Jack chuckled a little as he rubbed his hand over his face. 

“Yeah… yeah, that’s a good idea. Let’s set up the couch for him. Here-” he handed Michael the pillow he was still holding, “I’ll call Caleb and grab some more blankets. He’s going to probably need them later.” Michael nodded, taking the blanket and turning to the couch, and Jack pulled his cell phone out of his pocket before letting Geoff’s hand go. 

He headed into the kitchen, closing the door behind him, and leaned against the wall beside it, holding the phone in his hand. He let out a shaking breath and pushed his glasses to rest atop his head, pinching the bridge of his nose as he squeezed his eyes shut. He couldn’t get the image of Gavin’s face out of his head... How pale the other man had been laying in Dan’s arms. How hot his skin had been. How sick he’d looked. He pushed the image from his thoughts, looking at his phone and pulling up Caleb's number, pressing the call button and bringing the phone to his ear. 

+++

“Alright, B. Let’s have us a seat here while big bad Ryan runs the bath.” Dan settled himself onto the toilet, shifting the unconscious man in his lap to settle him better in his arms. Ryan knelt beside the tub, turning on the tap and running his hand under the water to test the warmth. He reached to adjust the water temperature and settled back on his heels, turning slightly to watch Dan as the other man gently rocked from side to side with Gavin.

“I’m sorry we didn’t tell you.” Dan glanced up, watching Ryan for a moment before returning his attention to Gavin, brushing the hair from his face with a frown. He was silent for a long moment, and didn’t speak until Ryan moved to sit on the edge of the tub. 

“Did you all think I wouldn’t notice that he hadn’t called me in a week? I’m the closest thing he has to family.” He didn’t sound angry... Ryan watched him as he shifted Gavin in his arms again to start stripping his shirt off, reaching to help him as the material got tangled in Gavin’s arms. “I’m the most important person in his life, now that he hasn’t got Burnie. And you thought that not calling me was, what…? Protecting me?” Ryan winced at that- both at the accusation of their keeping information from him and the implication that they weren’t important to Gavin. 

“We didn’t know if we’d even be able to reach you, Dan. And yes, maybe we were trying to protect you some. You’re important to Gavin, and he’s important to us. More important than you think.” Ryan turned to the tub again, reaching to turn off the tap before shifting to pick up the clean face cloth he’d placed beside the tub and dipping it into the cool water. Dan shifted to bring Gavin closer, watching Ryan as he dabbed the cloth over the unconscious man’s skin gently. “Hasn’t he… told you?” Dan fixed him with a look, and Ryan coughed before dipping the cloth back into the water. “I’ll take that as a no. He’s… been dating. Since the divorce.” Dan looked surprised, and Ryan chuckled as he brought the cloth back over to rub over Gavin’s chest.

“No, he… he never told me. Who is it?” Ryan shifted awkwardly, clearing his throat as Dan took the cloth from him to dab at Gavin’s forehead. 

“Are. Who… are they. That’s what you should be asking.” Dan stilled, looking up at Ryan with an unreadable look at his words. Ryan shifted on the tub ledge, feeling a little awkward at the sudden scrutiny. 

“Who. As in plural. As in… as in the lot of you, innit?” Ryan kept Dan’s gaze a moment before nodding, shifting his gaze to the ground. 

“As in the five of us, yes. Is that going to be a problem?” He took the cloth back, wetting it again and taking a moment to wring it out, hesitant to look up at Dan. Worried, even, at what he might see. 

“I… “ he had to take a moment, a breath, just to process the new revelation. “Why didn’t he tell me? This isn’t like forgetting to mention he picked up a new cat, this is a relationship with five people. Did he think I’d judge him? I’d hope…” He trailed off as Ryan pressed the cloth into his hand again, taking a moment to sponge along Gavin’s neck. 

“It’s still new. And you know how he is with these things, he would have told you when he was ready. “ Dan was silent, and Ryan sighed, reaching to place his hand on Dan’s to still it a moment. “Don’t be upset with him. We kept it from you, kept him being kidnapped from you. I get that you’re angry with us. But all we-… all of us want, is for him to get better. To heal. So we’re going to put this on the back burner, and we’re going to make sure Gavin get’s better, and then we can deal with this.” His tone was final, the flat, even tone he spoke with when he was in full Vagabond mode, and Dan bristled slightly at it. 

“Don’t use that bloody assassin’s voice on me, Haywood. Don’t treat me like I’m a threat to Gavin’s safety because I assure you I am anything but. I have had nothing but his safety in mind for our entire lives. You, on the other hand…” The glare he fixed the older man with was hard, and Ryan stiffened slightly at the threatening tone as Dan’s arms curled protectively around Gavin. “If you, or any of the others, hurt him? They won’t find your bodies. Great Fake AH Crew or not.” Ryan held his gaze a moment before taking the cloth back, placing it on the ledge of the tub. 

“I’m not a threat to Gavin. None of us are threats to him. I promise you that.” Dan stared at him, watching him for a moment before giving a silent nod, turning his attention back to Gavin as he pressed the back of his hand against his cheek. 

“He’s cooled down a bit.” Ryan nodded, but before he could respond there was a knock on the door. Both men glanced up as the door swung open, Ray’s head popping in to stare at them for a moment before clearing his throat. 

“Um... Caleb’s here. He wants you to bring him down.” Ryan nodded, standing up, and Dan followed suit. Ray held the door open, and the three of them headed down to where Caleb was waiting. 

They’d deal with everything else after Caleb saw to Gavin.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I promised you healing and thusly I deliver.
> 
> Literal healing. Hello, Caleb

Caleb Denecour had worked for Geoff Ramsey for exactly five years, three months and twenty-six days. 

In those many days, he’d seen countless injuries; things that med school hadn’t fully prepared him for (digging a bullet out of Michael’s iliotibial band, sans anesthesia, for example) but had yet to really come into a situation where he felt at a loss as to what to do. He’d thought he’d been prepared on his drive up to the cabin, having been briefed by Jack on the phone on Gavin’s condition, but as he stepped into the living room he found himself caught off guard at the quiet that had settled over the room. Michael was pacing between the coffee table and the couch, every so often glancing up towards the stairs while Geoff stood by the fireplace, staring at the made up couch in front of him with a frown as he fiddled with a ceramic cat that had been sitting on the mantle. Jack had been the one to let him in, looking the most composed of the three, and it was the red-haired man he addressed as he set his medical bag down on the coffee table. 

“Where’s he at?” Jack nodded towards the stairs, where noises could be heard before Ray, Dan and Ryan appeared. Dan was carrying Gavin, who looked much smaller and more fragile than Caleb had ever seen him before. As the mercenary set the unconscious man down on the couch, Caleb pulled a footstool over to sit on and took his stethoscope and a blood pressure cuff out of his bag. 

“He’s been out since we brought him back in. Ryan and Dan gave him a cool bath, but… I don’t understand what happened.” Jack’s voice was soft as though worried he’d wake up Gavin, and Caleb offered him a small smile as he wrapped the cuff around Gavin’s arm. 

“From the sounds of it, he had an absence seizure. There were no convulsions, right?” Beside Jack, Ray shook his head, and Caleb made note of Gavin’s blood pressure before picking up his stethoscope to press to his chest. 

“It was like he just froze up or something.” Caleb glanced up at Ray’s words, noting how pale the other man seemed. He paused his checking of Gavin to reach into his bag, pulling out a pill bottle to toss to Ray, who caught it with a questioning look. 

“It's just Ativan, Ray. I can tell from here that you’re fighting an anxiety attack, take one and go sit down.” Ray opened his mouth to argue, but after a moment closed it and opened the container to take out a pill. Jack handed him a bottle of water from the cooler that was still sitting by the patio door, and Ray moved to settle into one of the arm chairs, popping the pill into his mouth. 

“His fever’s really high. Should we be worried?” Ryan’s quiet voice startled Caleb- he had forgotten that the usually silent man was standing behind him, and his soft tone had surprised him. Taking his ear thermometer from his bag, he pressed it into Gavin’s ear and waited for it to beep, unwilling to attempt the regular one while the other man was unconscious. When the beep sounded, he pulled the thermometer back to check the number on it with a frown. 

“I’m a little worried about it, yeah. It’s at 104 right now. He has been taking the antibiotics, right?” Jack nodded, and Caleb's frown grew more as he put the thermometer back into his bag. “I’m worried those burns might be infected, or that I missed something initially when you first brought him in. I’m going to put him on a cocktail of antibiotics in an IV, see if we can bring the fever down… maybe some fluids too. I’ve got some IV’s in the car, Michael can you go grab the rack and the blue duffel bag?” Michael paused his pacing, nodding before he headed out into the driveway. Geoff set down the cat he had been holding, moving to stand beside the couch almost nervously. 

“Should we bring him to the clinic?” Caleb glanced up at his words, taking in how small Geoff looked, nothing at all like the big crime boss he was. He had considered the benefits of having Gavin at his clinic, of constant care while he was recovering with trained medical professionals. He had then considered the effect of being away from the others, of being in a small room without being allowed to leave, and he had scrapped the thought of keeping Gavin at the clinic. 

“I don’t think so. Physically, he’s on a bit of a downslide but nothing that some new antibiotics and rest won’t help. Mentally… he needs to be here. With you. I’m not a psychiatrist… but I think it would be in his best interest. I don’t want him running around for awhile, though. He needs bed rest.” Michael returned with the rack and the bag, putting them down next to Caleb and moving to stand awkwardly beside him. 

“Do you think it’d be better to set him up in one of the bedrooms upstairs? And should we keep an eye on him, watch him…? He’s been having nightmares.” Jack’s question was answered with a head shake as Caleb began to set up the IV, extending the rack and pulling out the supplies he needed. Tubing one of the bags, he strung it up, placing the IV in Gavin’s arm carefully with practiced ease. Beside him, Michael leaned to watch, curious as Caleb then began to string up the secondary IV, making sure the fluids flowed correctly. 

“Down here is more than fine. He’ll be close to the kitchen, close to people, not in a small room. It’ll do him some good, and there’s a bathroom here too. The IV rack’s on wheels, so he’ll be alright to move about some.” Gathering up his waste, he turned to Michael, handing him the pile to be disposed of as he checked Gavin’s burns. Michael stared at the garbage before moving to the kitchen, and Dan took up his spot as Caleb frowned some, taking his kit bag to start checking on the other man’s burns. “His burns don't seem to be too infected... Hopefully the fever will go away with the antibiotics, but I want you guys to keep an eye on it. If his fever doesn't go down within 48 hours, I want you to call me back immediately.” He cleaned and redressed the burns before standing up, wiping his hands on his jeans before turning to the others. He watched them all for a moment before offering them a small smile. “Do you have any questions?” There was a moment of silence before Dan cleared his throat, Caleb’s gaze turning to the mercenary as Dan took Gavin’s hand in an almost subconscious manner. 

“The seizures. He’s… had them before. At least I think he has. Or something like it? There was a time he just… fell over, when we were lads. And a time where he couldn’t read or speak and then he passed out? Is… should we worry about that? Is he going to be alright?” Michael made a noise of agreement behind them as he re-entered the room, and Caleb gave a soft sigh as he ran a hand through his hair. 

“We’ll have to run a few tests, but I don’t think he’ll be in too much trouble once he’s recovered some from his kidnapping. He hasn’t had much trouble with flashing lights before this, and sometimes the brain works in strange ways. It could be that his trigger is stress, or something else. We won’t know until we’ve taken a look into it.” The group nodded, and Caleb pulled a pill bottle out of his bag to toss to Jack. 

“These are Clonazepam. They’re an anxiety medication, but they can help prevent seizures as well. I want you to give him one tablet daily for now, see if it helps his nightmares. But you’ll have to keep an eye on him, there are possible side effects. Suicidal urges, hallucinations, involuntary eye movements… possible worsening of his seizures. And less dangerous ones like headaches and dry mouth, but those are the ones you need to look out for. Alright?” Jack nodded, tucking the pill container into his pocket as Caleb moved to gather his things. “Unless you want me to stick around a bit, you should be alright. I’ll stay at the Grand Haven motel tonight so I’m a little closer if you need me to come back, but he should be fine.” Taking up his two bags, he headed towards the door and left the group in silence.

+++

When Gavin woke again, it was to a dull ache in his arm and the sensation of being watched. 

He came back to his senses slowly, feeling groggy as he opened his eyes to spot Dan hovering over him with a concerned look on his face. He blinked a few times to clear his sight, letting himself focus some as Dan offered him a smile. 

“Hey, B. Look at you, being awake finally. How are you feeling?” Gavin took a moment to push himself up into a sitting position, reaching to rub at his eyes and pausing as he felt a tug in his right arm. He looked at his arm, frowning as he noted the IV line. He stared at it for a moment, before turning his attention to the room around him. It seemed to be just himself and Dan alone in the living room, the rest of the cabin dark and silent around them. Dan noted him looking around, reaching to take his hand and draw his attention back to him. “The others ran to get some groceries, I told them I’d stay here with you while they did.” Gavin nodded, rubbing his eyes with his free hand before letting out a yawn. 

“How long have I been out?” Dan glanced at his watch, not letting go of Gavin’s hand as the slighter man shifted about in an attempt to get comfortable. 

“About six hours. Caleb came, hence the IV… he said you’ve been having absence seizures. Do you… do you remember what happened earlier? In the tree house?” Gavin frowned, thinking back. He could somewhat recall Dan and Michael being upset with each other, and then…

“Not really. I… what were you and Michael fighting about? I remember the two of you fighting.” Dan gave a half-hearted chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck as he settled back some on the couch.

“It wasn’t anything important, B. The important thing is that Caleb took a look over you. He wants to run some tests when you get back into the city, and he wants you to take some more medication. The IV’s to stay in, so don’t even think about taking it out.” Gavin gave him a sheepish grin, and Dan beamed at him. “I know you too well, yeah? We need to keep an eye on your fever, but besides that you should be alright. So, once more… how are you feeling?” Gavin took a moment to take stock of himself; he felt off, a little loopy, and his head was killing him. 

“I’m a little thirsty, B. And everything’s a little-” he made an obscene gesture, making a strange noise, “-woobly. Swimmy.” Dan nodded, reaching for a glass that was on the table and holding it out for Gavin to take, watching carefully as Gavin held the cup to his lips to take a sip. 

“That’s probably the fever. It’s pretty up there, and you’ve got a lot of antibiotics pumping into you right now.” He paused a moment, squeezing Gavin’s hand lightly. “You scared me, Gavin. This whole... situation has scared me. Maybe I should stay here for a bit. For more than a bit. How do I know I won’t be left out of the loop if this happens again?” He took the glass from Gavin once he finished drinking, setting it on the table once more. “How do I know they’re going to treat you right? Haywood told me about your… relationship. Are you sure that’s what you want, B? They aren’t pressuring you into this, are they? Because if they are, I’ll s-” Gavin placed his hand over Dans mouth, effectively silencing him with a frown. 

“No one is making me do anything I don’t want to, Dan. Don’t be silly. I’m here because I want to be, and I’m with them because I love them.” He made a face as Dan licked his palm, pulling away with a quiet noise of disgust to wipe his hand on the blanket in his lap. 

“Alright. You know I had to make sure. If this is what you want…” He trailed off, and Gavin’s expression softened as he reached to take Dan’s face in his hands, forcing him to look at him. 

“This is what I want. But… I’d like if I got to see you more. I miss you, B.” Dan leant forward to press his forehead to Gavin’s, and the two sat in silence for a long moment, Gavin’s hands on Dan’s cheeks and Dan’s hands just above Gavin’s bandaged wrists, before Dan took a deep breath. 

“What if I moved here? To Los Santos.” Gavin stilled, eyes widening as he sat up straight to stare at Dan. The idea was certainly appealing. Dan being so close would be a comfort, and would take away a lot of his anxiety about being so far from his friend, but... To ask him to pack up his life and move to America?

“I can’t ask you to do that, Dan. Your life is in the UK.” Dan snorted, taking Gavin’s hands as they fell from his face and placing them between them as he shook his head. 

“Not really. Making sure Jared was taken care of was the only thing keeping me there and he’s been dead for years now, B. I want to do this. I want to come to America. I want to be closer to you.” Gavin’s hands squeezed Dan’s, and after a moment he gave him a shy smile. 

“I’d like that. I’d like that a lot, I think. It just doesn’t feel complete, being here without you too. It never has.” Dan nodded, and Gavin shifted some tugging on Dan’s hand. “Come lay down, B. I’m exhausted.” Dan took note of the paleness of Gavin’s face, giving him a small smile as he got up to rearrange the two of them until Gavin was resting comfortably against his chest. 

“Do you want me to give you a shot of pain killers or anything before you fall back asleep?” Gavin grumbled at Dan’s question, already comfortable against the other man’s broad chest. Dan chuckled, wrapping an arm around Gavin’s back to hold him close. “Alright, but you just let me know if you do.” Gavin made a noise of affirmation, and Dan hummed under his breath as he felt Gavin relax, letting him drift off as they waited for the others to return.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a bit delayed, sorry. It's crunch time for convention prep (Anyone going to Anime North? Holla) so the wife and I are frantically trying to get costumes together. Enjoy some Geoff and Gavin bonding time!

When next Gavin woke, it was to the sound of soft humming and a pleasant warmth under him. He took a moment to enjoy the sensation of strong arms wrapped around him, letting the calmness of the moment sweep over him before he opened his eyes. He was greeted with the sight of Geoff’s chest, the older man contently reading a book while Gavin lay on him. He made a soft noise, yawning some as he ran his hand up Geoff’s chest to curl his fingers in the fabric just above his head. The cabin seemed quiet around them, familiar from when he had woken up before with Dan, and he tugged slightly on Geoff’s shirt to gain his attention.

“What time is it?” Geoff smiled, setting his book down on Gavin’s back as he glanced at his watch, and Gavin shifted some to lay a bit more on his side to relieve the slight pressure on his ribs.

“About eleven. The others all headed up to bed, and Dan went to pick up some things in town. How are you feeling?” Gavin licked his lips, taking stock of his body. His body hurt a bit less. The painkillers pumping through his system probably assisting in the lack of pain he was feeling. He was tired still, and he felt out of it; no doubt the work of his fever and the medication they had given him.

“A little woozy. Not so much pain though, bless Caleb’s little heart. I’m sorry I fell asleep before you lot got back…” Geoff scoffed, running his hand along Gavin’s back as Gavin gave a small sigh of contentedness at the sensation.

“It’s alright, buddy. We were worried about you, but Dan had you. I’m glad you’re awake now… It’s a relief to see you up and talking to be honest.” Gavin frowned some, shifting again to wiggle his way up to press a light kiss to Geoff’s chin.

“I’m sorry you had to see me like that Geoff.” Geoff’s hand tightened some in Gavin’s hair, and Gavin leant up more to press another soft kiss to the older man’s face. “You must have been very worried, while I was gone. I’m sorry.” Geoff’s breath caught some as Gavin’s lips pressed against his neck, letting his hand move to rest on the back of Gavin’s head to keep him in place as he took a slow breath.

“I thought you were fucking dead when we got to the room they had you in. I saw all that blood and the first thing I thought was fuck, I’m never going to see that beautiful fucking smile again.” His voice caught, and he brought his other arm around Gavin, knocking his book to the floor as he held him against him. “I thought, jesus christ, I brought him back into this world, this is my fault. It was like all the colour had been sucked out of the world, Gavin. You can’t… you aren’t allowed to die. Fuck.” Gavin remained silent for a moment, taking in Geoff’s words before he reached up some to press his fingers along Geoff’s jaw to tilt his face towards him.

“Everyone dies eventually, Geoffrey.” Geoff gave him a look, and Gavin gave a hesitant smile, pressing his fingertips a bit harder to the older man’s jaw. “You know I’m right. No one is immortal. You need to prepare yourself for the possibility of one of us dying.” Geoff stiffened slightly for a moment before relaxing some with a deep sigh.

“I know that, Gavin. I’m not an idiot. I know that the job we have is dangerous, I know that the probability of one of us dying is higher than normal. Doesn’t mean I fucking like it, and it doesn’t mean I want to think about you dying. It scared the shit out of me, all of this. I almost lost you.” Gavin smiled warmly at him, shifting until he was straddling Geoff, pinning him down to the couch. Geoff placed his hands on Gavin’s hips, raising a brow as he helped steady the younger man as he leaned down slightly.

“I’m right here, Geoff. I promise you, I don’t plan on going anywheres, either. I’m tougher than you lot give me credit for.” Geoff watched his face carefully, eyes scanning over him as though trying to find a break in his cheerful mask.

“How are you really doing, Gav?” His voice was soft, and Gavin’s lips curled some into a frown as he used Geoff’s shoulders as leverage to keep himself up.

“Honestly?” He chewed the corner of his lip, hesitating a moment. “I’m scared to fall asleep when I’m not medicated or unconscious. I’m worried about all of you, I feel like shit.” There was no hiding from Geoff, not when the other man had known him as long and as well as he had. “I’m scared that I’ll wake up in that stupid room again. My head feels foggy and I can’t… I can’t focus right. It’s hard, Geoff. I’m scared.” His voice was small as he trailed off, and Geoff shifted to pull him down against him, holding him close.

“I’m not going to let something like that happen again, Gavin. I promise.” Gavin made a sound at his words, shifting to press a kiss to his lips before pulling away some.

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Geoff. You don’t know what’s going to happen in the future.” Geoff frowned, and Gavin leaned down again to kiss him firmly. “Let’s just live in the now. That way, promises can’t be broken. I hate broken promises.” He gave a little shiver, and Geoff reached to pull the blanket up around him again, shifting him until he was laying flush against him again.

“Alright. But that means that you gotta let us take care of you, alright? Caleb said no more running around outside, not with your fever so high. And we have to give you less food until your stomach readjusts… don’t think I didn’t notice that you didn’t eat breakfast this morning.” Gavin gave a whine, pressing his face into Geoff’s chest and taking a deep breath as Geoff gave a small chuckle.

“I had a sandwich with the lads though. That stayed down okay.” Geoff snorted, running a hand along Gavin’s back as he got the two of them comfortable once more.

“Well doctors fucking orders, dickhead. Small meals. And you’ve got to take your medication, or else your fevers never going to go down. Alright?” Gavin nodded, and Geoff leaned some to pick his book up off the floor. “You should probably try to get some more sleep, Gav. It’ll help you feel better.” Gavin shifted to pout up at him, and Geoff smiled.

“Don’t want to sleep, Geoff.” The younger man trailed his fingers over Geoff’s chest, drawing little hearts over the fabric of his shirt as he watched Geoff with wide, innocent eyes. “I’d like kisses, though.” Geoff chuckled, resting the book against Gavin’s back as he pulled him up slightly to press several kisses to his lips, causing the other man to giggle some.

“Now sleep. Jesus christ, you’re worse than a kid.” Gavin gave a hum, settling against Geoff again and closing his eyes. It took several minutes for him to fall asleep, and Geoff set his book aside to simply hold Gavin close for a moment, watching the gentle movement of each breath the younger man took. He loved all of his boyfriends, but Gavin held a special place for him; he didn’t think he could explain it if asked, but he knew that it was in part why he had selfishly brought the man into his folds. Somewhere deep down, he had never felt that Burnie truly deserved Gavin; had seen that neither man had been completely happy in their marriage and had resented the fact that there was nothing he could do to set either man free during that time. He hated himself for ever thinking that Burnie hadn’t cared about Gavin as much as he had, as clearing Gavin’s kidnapping had affected the older man just as much as it had Geoff and the others. He pressed a kiss to the top of Gavin’s head, then reached for his phone on the table. Pulling up his contacts, he opened a message to Burnie.

**- >: Gavin had a bit of a set back, fever got higher and Caleb came to put him on some IVs. He’s settled, and Dan’s here now...you want to come stop in? Say hi to him?**

He placed his phone on the back of the couch, picking his book up to read again while he waited for a response. It came a moment later, his phone buzzing as the message came through.

**B.B: Shit yeah. Is he alright? I’ll come tomorrow or the day after. Kdin and Mica have some information for you, I was going to message you in the morning.**

That was good news. He hadn’t heard anything from the two in a while, and had been worrying that the trail on the traitor had run cold.

**- >: That works. And great, I was hoping they found something. Gavin will be glad to see you.**

**B.B: How’re you holding up? And the others?**

**- >: Fuck, man, it’s hard. There was a whole incident where he found out how long it took us to realize he wasn’t in the car and shit hit the fan.**

**B.B: Fuck. How are the lads holding up?**

**- >: I mean, as well as can be I guess? Michael’s angry at everything and Ray’s jumpy but it’s getting better. Ryan’s holding all his shit inside and Jack’s pretty messed up every time he thinks about the fact that Gavin still hasn’t really told us everything that happened but what can you do I guess?**

**B.B: And how are you doing?**

**- >: … it’s so fucking hard, Burnie. Part of me feels like this is all my fault. Like if I had just never pulled him back into this life he’d have never had this happen.**

**B.B: Geoff… look. Even if he had stayed my movie making husband, there was always a chance that he would have gotten kidnapped to get to me. At least now, he had a chance to protect himself. And do you really think that he’d of been happy just filming?**

**- >: … no. Fuck, you’re right. I know I shouldn’t blame myself for this but it’s hard not to.**

**B.B: I know. Why don’t you try to get some rest man? It’s late.**

**- >: Maybe for you old man. But yeah… that’s probably a good idea. I’ll see you when you make it out here.**

He set his phone aside, glancing at his book before making his place and putting it on the table. Burnie was right. Whether Gavin had stayed as a filmmaker or now as the Golden Boy of Los Santos, there was always a chance that the younger man would have been put into danger regardless of his life choices. His chance at a simple life had been stolen from him as soon as he’d been taken from his parents, and Geoff knew it was ridiculous to think otherwise. Reaching behind him, he turned off the lamp and settled back against the cushions. He tightened his arms around Gavin slightly, letting himself relax as he closed his eyes. He didn’t want to think about Gavin, alone in that cell. He didn’t want to think of the corpse they had entered the room to, about the blood slick floor or the knife Gavin had attempted to stab him with. He had to remind himself that Gavin was alright, that the warm body pressed to his was intact and, while not completely perfect, still kicking. He buried his face in Gavin’s hair, taking a deep breath.

Gavin was safe. There was a lead on the traitor. Things were going to be alright.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So starts the beginning of the end! Only two chapters left after this one guys! After I finish uploading the last two, I'm going to be working on a prequel (To Kill A King: How Gavin meets Burnie) before the next part of this. (So same series, but back before all this started) I hope you guys stick with me for the next little while! 
> 
> Note: So after some thought and consideration, from this point further Kdin will be referred to with her preferred pronouns (feminine). I want to support Kdin in any way possible!

Kdin Jenzen spent a lot of time sitting in front of computers when she wasn’t making flights. More so than your average pilot; it took a lot of screens to monitor Geoff Ramsey’s empire, and Kdin and Mica had been part of the team that was Geoff's eyes and ears within the city for years now. The young pilot specialized in video surveillance when she wasn’t flying, confident that she could break into any camera system if given the time, while Mica specialized in infiltration and disguises. Burnie occasionally requested their assistance, and with the two largest gangs in Los Santos backing them, they had all the tools they could ever need available to them. 

All of those tools were being used to find the Corpirate, currently. 

“Do you really think we found him, Kdin?” Mica’s voice pulled Kdin out of the video clips she had been sorting through, frowning as she looked over at the other desk. Mica was sitting with her feet up, her DS in hand as she waited for Kdin to finish her task. Glancing at the remaining time on the clip buffering, she turned to face her friend with a frown. 

“It’s definitely him, Mica. How many assholes run around in an eyepatch and a suit?” Mica’s expression darkened slightly as she let her legs drop, setting her DS on the table as she turned to face Kdin more. The two of them had been working hard to find the Corpirate’s location while Lindsay and Kerry had been working on tracking down the traitor in their midst, the team split into two while Miles and Trevor were helping Burnie keep an eye on Los Santos.

“But we have to be sure before we tell Ramsey. If we give him the wrong information…” Her words trailed off, but Kdin knew what she was going to say. If they gave Geoff the wrong information, it wouldn’t just be their jobs on the line, but their lives. Ramsey was emotional at best when it came to his inner crew- and everyone knew that the quickest way to find yourself dead in Los Santos was to get on the tattooed man’s bad side. 

“He’s gotta be a bit more rational now that Gavin’s back. But… I mean, come on Mica. Look at the videos. It’s him. It’s gotta be him. Time to bring this to Ramsey and move on, find the traitor. “ She hated thinking about the fact that someone close to them had betrayed them like that, had almost gotten Gavin killed (and as obnoxious as the British man could be, there was no denying that he was well liked by almost everyone they worked with) and had, perhaps worst of all, gone against not just Geoff but Burnie as well. 

“Alright. Burnie’s waiting outside for us, we should get going. Get all this over with so we can come back and have that Smash tournament we’ve been talking about. “ Kdin flashed her a small smile, grabbing the thumbdrive from her laptop and shoving it into her bag before turning to gesture for Mica to lead them out into the main hall. 

“After you, then. Do you think Burnie will stop for drinks on the way up? It's like, threes hours from here to Paradise. “ Mica chuckled, pulling two ramune sodas from her bag and holding them up. 

“Don't you worry baby I got this. “ Kdin grinned, and the two made their way down to Burnie’s car, neither eager to reach the Geoff. 

+++

“-and that's what happens when you press the morphine injection button more than once. So don't do it again. “ Gavin gave a giddy grin as Ryan pulled the push button out of the loopy man's hands, setting it to the side as Ray gave a snort. 

“I think he's blazing hard right now, Ryan. He pressed it like three times. “ Ryan gave a groan at Ray's words, settling down in the arm chair next to the couch to rub his eyes tiredly. He had been on Gavin watch since earlier in the morning, and the younger man had proceeded to over medicated himself since waking up. Ray, of course, found a stoned Gavin hilarious and had done nothing to stop him, leading Ryan to the decision that he was, in fact, dating children. 

“I don't think it counts as blazing when it's a morphine drip, Ray. Gavin, what are you doing?” The injured man had been tugging on the bandages that were currently adorning his wrists, looking distressed as he did so. The bandages covered the worse of the wounds from the shackles that had kept Gavin chained up in the little cell he’d been in, but he could still feel the itch of the skin underneath. 

“They hurt.” Gavin’s whine was followed by a sad little pout, and Ray shifted some to pull Gavin against him on the couch, wrapping the blanket around both of them as he wrapped his arms around Gavin.

“They’re gunna hurt dude, but they’re healing. Caleb’s got you all fixed up, you just gotta wait for your body to get it’s heal on and you’re gunna be good as new.” They both knew that Ray’s words weren’t the full truth; Gavin still jumped at too-loud noises, and flickering lights still caused him to curl into himself if he wasn’t expecting it. Physically, Gavin was beginning to mend; but mentally, he still had a long way to go. 

“It’s like they’re still in the shackles, Ray.” Ryan frowned at Gavin’s words, catching the slight slurring as Gavin struggled to pick at the tape on the bandages. He reached forward, gently placing his hands over Gavin’s to stop him from tearing at the bandages. 

“There’s no shackles, Gavin. You’re just feeling the bandages, and those have to stay on or else your wrists are going to get infected. It’s like your cast; it’s there to help you heal.” Gavin gave a whine, pulling his hands away from Ryan and nearly smacking Ray in the face as he half turned against the other man. Ryan’s frown deepened as Ray ran his hand through Gavin’s hair, making soft soothing noises as Gavin buried his face in his shoulder as he clutched his hands to his chest. Glancing up at Ryan, Ray made a ‘dude he’s freaking out what do we do’ look as he continued to try and sooth Gavin, and Ryan let out a soft sigh as he moved to sit on the edge of the couch. Reaching out to gently rub Gavin’s back, his brow furrowed as he felt Gavin’s breathing hitch under his hand, pausing a moment to lean in an attempt to look at Gavin’s face. He heard a mumble coming from Gavin, and trailed his hand up Gavin’s back to lightly grasp the back of the other man’s neck as he pressed a bit closer. “What was that?” Gavin pulled back slightly, just enough that his words weren’t muffled in Ray’s chest. 

“What if he tries to take my hands? I need those to do my job, Ryan.” Ryan shot Ray a look, and Ray returned it with a look of bafflement as Gavin let out another high pitched whine. 

“What if who takes your hands, dude?” Ray asked, shifting slightly to try and get Gavin to turn on his side some. Gavin gave in after a moment, shifting onto his good side as Ryan reached out to brush a hand against his forehead as he looked up at the older man. 

“The Corpirate, Ray. What if the Corpirate isn’t dead and he comes and takes me into that bloody room again and he wants to take my hands? He keeps saying that he’s going to take them.” Ryan and Ray shared a concerned look, and Ray let out a huff of breath as he tried to think of a response that wouldn’t give away the fact that the Corpirate was still alive. 

“He’s not gunna be able to, Vav. You’re home with us.” Gavin blinked slowly, glancing around some before focusing on Ryan with a small smile. 

“Oh. Right. I thought...everything’s all mingy.” Ryan gave a small chuckle, brushing Gavin’s hair from his face as he watched him a moment. Gavin’s pupils were huge; Ryan had a feeling that Gavin was probably lost in some sort of drug haze. 

“You took three times the dosage of painkillers Caleb prescribed for you, Gavin. You’re a little out of it, that’s all. I promise you, you’re home safe with us at Paradise and no one is going to take your hands.” Ray nodded empathically, and Gavin gave a small sigh of relief as he relaxed against Ray. 

“Oh good. I need my hands. They’re important. If I didn’t have hands, I’d be a snake, Ray.” Ray gave a small snort as Gavin shifted to make himself comfortable against him. 

“Yeah, okay he is high as balls right now, isn’t he.” Ryan nodded, and Gavin made a distressed noise as he tried to look up at Ray from where he laid. 

“I’m not high! I’m at the optimal elevation, X-Ray. I’m just right.” Ryan smiled, shaking his head as he moved back to his armchair. Geoff, Jack and Michael had gone to meet Burnie, Kdin and Mica in the small town nearby, leaving Ryan and Ray to watch after Gavin for the afternoon while Dan slept off some of his jet lag. Picking up the book he had been reading before Gavin had woken up, he watched the two younger men a moment before opening the book and beginning to read. 

“You’re something, Vav. You wanna watch me play Pokemon?” Gavin made an hum of agreeance, and Ray shifted to grab his DS off the table to bring it in front of them, turning it on for them to enjoy the game. For a while the three men enjoyed the soft music of the game, Gavin watching the screen avidly as Ray played while Ryan read, Gavin occasionally reaching for the drip injection button only to be shooed away by Ryan. After several attempts, Ryan set his book down, leaning forward in his chair to fix Gavin with a look. 

“What are you doing there, Gavin?” There was a hint of amusement in Ryan’s voice, and Gavin gave a small giggle as he tried to reach out to touch Ryan’s face. Ray paused his game, raising a brow as Ryan moved the entire IV rack out of Gavin’s reach. 

“It just feels so nice to not have to think, Ryan.” Ryan frowned slightly, and Gavin pouted as he took note of the look. “It’s like my brain’s shut off from the bad stuff. Just for a minute.” Ray gave a small nod, looping an arm around Gavin’s chest to pull him back against him some. 

“I get that, dude, I really do. But you already took way too much, you’re gunna overdose or something if you keep pressing the button for more. You’re not exactly the leading example of drug tolerance… a fucking tylenol could knock you out.” Gavin made a noise, and Ray snickered. “You know I’m right.” 

“Fine. I won’t press the button any more.” Ryan gave a nod, and the three settled back into their positions as they fell back into a companionable silence, waiting for the others to return. 

+++

Geoff Ramsey might have been the most successful crime lord in Los Santos for the past twenty some odd years, feared by many near and far, but he was in no way above sitting in a booth in Burger King with a paper crown on his head as he waited for Burnie and his entourage to arrive. Jack and Michael were sitting across from him in the booth, the younger of the two making no attempt to hide his snickering as Jack calmly ate his burger. 

“Jesus christ Geoff you look like an idiot.” Michael was grinning as he made the comment, his light-heartedness infectious as Geoff tilted the crown slightly. 

“We should totally bring one of these back for Ryan. “ the older man stated, “He would fucking love it. “ He gestured as though waving at his subjects, causing Michael to laugh loudly and Jack to chuckle as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. 

“I think he’ll be fine without one, Geoff. He already has a god complex, let’s not make him think he’s royalty too. Oh… there’s Burnie.” All eyes turned to the door as it opened, the three men watching as Burnie, Mica and Kdin approached their booth.

“Afternoon, guys. Sorry it took us so long, someone forgot to bring their cell phone.” Burnie slid into the booth next to Geoff, Kdin sitting beside him and Mica giving Michael a little push to get him to move closer to Jack to make room for her. 

“And by someone he means him. Burnie forgot his cell.” Mica piped up as she reached to steal one of Jack’s fries, the older man letting her and offering the tray to Kdin as well. 

“Yes, alright, it was me. Regardless, we’re here now. Do you kids want food, or are you just going to steal Jack’s?” Mica shrugged, and Kdin shook her head. 

“No thanks. We did eat a lot in the car. We should probably give them the information and… can we go see Gavin?” Kdin adjusted her glasses as she leant to look at Geoff, worry on her face at the thought of the other man. Geoff gave her a smile, shifting to half turn in the seat so he could look at everyone seated. 

“He’s pretty loopy right now, but you guys can come see him if you want. Just don’t expect much of your conversation with him to make sense, apparently he’s rambling to Ryan and Ray about losing his hands.” Burnie gave a chuckle, shaking his head some. 

“So, really, he’s acting pretty much like normal?” Geoff snorted, giving Burnie a small shove, and Burnie smiled before clearing his throat. “Alright. So the kids found Corpirate.” He nodded at Kdin and Mica to take over, and Mica finished her mouthful of fries before speaking. 

“He’s been hiding out in one of the penthouses downtown, the street cams caught him taking a delivery and going to the store. You can take the man out of a suit, but… I mean, come on. He wears an eyepatch. That shits noticeable.” Michael snorted beside her, and Mica flashed him a grin before she continued. “It doesn’t look like he has many hired hands with him, I think he’s more hiding out than anything. He knows you’re going to come after him. To be honest, I think the only reason he hasn’t left Los Santos is because he knows we’re watching all ways out of the city. “ Geoff nodded at the words, taking a moment to think on them before leaning back against the back cushion of the booth seat. 

“Well, you’re right about one thing. I’m going for him. And he’s not going to make it anywhere alive. I assume you have addresses and schedules and shit for me?” Kdin nodded, reaching into her bag and pulling out the flash drive. 

“Yeah. And I have back ups at the loft in case you lose that one.” Geoff grinned, taking the drive and giving a little shrug. 

“You know me too well, Kdin. Alright. Any news on the traitor yet?” He turned his attention to Burnie, who glanced at Jack a moment before stealing a fry as well. 

“Lindsay and Kerry have been working on it. Lindsay says they have it narrowed down, and when we get back these two are going to help them work on it. We’re getting pretty close, I think.” Geoff nodded, settling back in his seat at the words, and Michael leaned forward to place his arms on the table, looking at Burnie. 

“I want to take out the traitor.” Burnie raised an eyebrow at Michael’s words, and the younger man glared at him. “This asshole turned on us, got my boi captured. I. Want. Them.” There was a fierceness to Michael’s words, and Burnie sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. 

“Michael… a lot of people want this person on a silver platter. I can’t promise that they’re going to get handed to you to be dealt with. Hell, I want to be the one to have a little chat with them when we find them, but things have to be handled properly. We need to find out why they did it, if they were bought or if there’s trouble in the ranks. I’ll see what I can do though.” Michael scowled, but nodded; leaning back, he picked up the paper crown that had been on the table and plopped it on his head. 

“Fine. Whatever.” Geoff rolled his eyes, reaching to swat at Michael across the table. 

“Don’t get sulky, dickweed. You knew he was going to say that. Jack, you finished yet?” Jack gave a nod, finishing off his drink before placing all his garbage on the tray. 

“Yeah. We should probably get back anyways. We still have a cranky Brit to deal with. ” Burnie nodded some at that, and Kdin and Mica slid out of the booth to let everyone up. 

“Gav’s cranky is he?” Burnie asked, standing up and offering to take Jack’s tray as he stood as well. Geoff snorted, stretching as he stood before turning to head towards the door, calling out over his shoulder to the others as they followed. 

“No, man. But Dan’s pretty pissed so have fun with that.” Burnie groaned, holding the door open for the others to exit the building. 

“Christ, I hate it when Dan’s mad. He’s like a guard dog, he’s going to punch someone.” Geoff scowled, turning to face Burnie as they started towards the cars. 

“Oh, don’t worry. He already has.” Michael snickered, and Burnie raised a brow as he noted the slight bruising on Geoff’s jaw. Wincing- he’d been on the receiving end of Dan’s anger before- he gave a nod as he unlocked the car door, letting Mica and Kdin into the car and leaning on the driver side door to talk to Geoff and Jack and Michael entered their vehicle. 

“So scale of one to ten, how mad is he still?” Geoff thought a moment, shaking his head some as he slid into the passenger seat of his car. 

“Like… seven. Just stick Gavin between the two of you when you get there, you’ll be fine.” Burnie chuckled, getting into his car, and the two groups started off towards Paradise.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only one more chapter left! :D

When the group returned to the cabin, it was to find Dan and Jeremy sitting on the porch swing, deep in conversation. Burnie frowned as he pulled up and parked, getting out of the car and leaning on the door as he took in the two men. 

“Jeremy, what are you doing here? I thought you were helping Lindsay and Kerry?” Jeremy glanced up, taking in the group as they exited their vehicles, and moving to stand up. He looked a bit nervous, and beside him Dan moved to stand as well, leaning on the porch railing.

“Jeremy’s brought us some news on the traitor.” Geoff stilled as he was moving to close his car door, and Jack and Michael paused as Jeremy ran a hand along the railing before him. 

“Uhm...Lindsay says I should probably get you guys inside and sitting before I tell you? She stayed back to monitor the traitors movements, but Kerry’s inside already.” Burnie closed the door, moving to close Geoff’s as well and to press a hand to the other man’s back to guide him towards the stairs. 

“I don’t like the sound of that. Kerry’s inside, you said?” Jeremy gave a nod, and turned to follow Dan inside the cabin. Geoff, Burnie and the others followed, entering the cabin to spot Kerry sitting with Gavin and Ray on the couch, Ryan in the arm chair next to it. Gavin was leaning on Kerry, resting his head on the younger man’s shoulder as he rambled into his ear, and Kerry looked pleased to see that Gavin was alright. Kdin and Mica moved to sit on the small sofa across from the couch, and Burnie, Geoff, Jack, Dan and Michael took seats from the kitchen table to bring in and sit around the circle with the others. Kerry straightened up some as Burnie and Geoff sat, clearing his throat once everyone was settled. 

“So uh...we found out who the traitor is. I… “ He glanced at Burnie, a look of almost regret on his face. “I didn’t want to believe it at first, Burnie. I really didn’t. But Lindsay and I have been on this since we got back from rescuing Gavin and...There’s not one traitor. There’s two.” There was a long moment of silence while the group took the information in before Ryan cleared his throat, leaning forward in his seat. 

“Two traitors? Give me names, Shawcross.” Kerry coughed nervously, pulling out some pictures from the portfolio he had on the table and handing the pictures to Ryan, shrinking back against the couch as the older man snatched them from his hands. Ryan looked at the pictures before looking back at Kerry, brows furrowed. 

“And you’re sure it’s them.” He stated flatly, glancing at the two pictures again. Kerry nodded, crossing his arms over his chest as Ryan handing the pictures to Geoff to look at. Geoff held the photos up, his facial expression hardened as he handed the photo’s to Burnie as well. Beside Kerry, Ray frowned, leaning towards Kerry to give him a nudge. 

“Who is it?” He asked, gesturing to the pictures being passed around. Kerry glanced at Gavin before turning back to Ray, reaching out to touch Ray’s arm lightly. 

“It’s Joel and Caleb, Ray.” Ray stilled at the mention of Joel- the man was a dirty cop who had been working with them for years, and Ray and Joel had grown fairly close in the time they’d known each other. Ray glanced at Burnie, who was staring at the photos as though trying to make sense as to why the two men, who had been so loyal to them for years, might turn traitor. 

“”That motherfucker was here. Caleb was fucking HERE, Kerry, why didn’t you tell us sooner?” Michael’s voice piped up from the side, his anger audible as he clenched his fists in his lap. Kerry shrank back some, not as use to Michael’s anger as the others, and from Burnie’s other side, Kdin piped up. 

“He probably didn’t know for sure, Michael.” She picked at a loose string on her bag, frowning. “Caleb….I can’t believe Caleb would do something like this without a really good reason. Maybe we should talk to him?” Jack made a sound of agreement, leaning forward in his seat to nod at Kdin’s suggestion. “And Joel… “ Kdin shrugged some, not sure what to say. Joel was a different sort of entity; most of the B Team tried to avoid a lot of contact with the older man, uncertain as to what might set him off. 

“Joel did it for gold.” Kerry’s voice cut into the conversation, causing Burnie to glance up at the smaller man wedged between Gavin and Ray. “Corpirate offered him gold bars for information about the heist, when it was going to take place and any plans he knew about get away and stuff. He’s… already turned himself in to Lindsay. He didn’t think that Gavin would get captured.” Burnie’s expression turned sour, and Kerry swallowed audibly before carrying on. “We’re not... sure what’s happening with Caleb. From the looks of it, he gave Corpirate some of our medical supplies, and he’s had one meeting with one of the Corpirate’s men since Gavin’s rescue. He came out here and now he’s holed up in a hotel in town. Jeremy’s going to go get him after this, bring him to Linds as well. We think Corpirate might have had something on him…” Michael gave a growl, his fist slamming the table loudly as he stood up. 

“That’s no fucking reason to turn on us! You never turn on your crew, no matter what!” Kerry winced as Michael began to pace, but it was Gavin’s voice that caused him to pause his steps and look over at the couch. 

“What if it was to save someone? Someone important to him?” All eyes turned on Gavin, and he shifted to sit up straight. “I’d turn on anyone if it were to save one of you. We should talk to him first. Find out what happened. Caleb’s always been loyal to the both of you-” he glanced at Burnie and Geoff, “- and I can’t believe he wouldn’t have a good reason. It’s not okay, but… there could be an explanation.” Geoff gave a nod, and Gavin settled back on the couch once more, playing with the IV line. 

“We know where the Corpirate is, now, too. So we can track him, take him down at our leisure. Kdin and I have all eyes on him, and Miles and Trevor are staking out the building he’s in. He knows we’re after him, guys, and he’s scared. But he’s also trapped. He has almost no men in the building with him, we have a bug in his building now… he’s not getting away from us.” Mica shifted to cross her legs as she looped an arm over Kdin’s shoulder, and Burnie cleared his throat as he turned some to look at them, stilling as his gaze swept over a stunned Gavin.

“But… he’s dead, isn’t he?” Geoff’s entire body froze in his seat as Gavin turned to look at him, eyes wide and face pale. Geoff shifted to reach out towards Gavin, but the younger man edged away, looking around at the others. “Ryan, you told me he was dead.” Ryan frowned, crossing his arms over his chest as he shook his head. 

 

“No, I never outright said that the Corpirate was dead. I said we killed most of them. Our goal was to rescue you, Gavin. That was the important part.” Gavin took a moment to take in Ryan’s words before taking a deep breath and pushing down the fear at the thought of the Corpirate still being out there, nodding. 

“Okay. I… okay. So you found him? Now what?” The room settled some, focus turning to Burnie and Geoff.

“Geoff and I will get together a team to deal with Corpirate. I’m sure there’s a few people here who want to have a hand in taking him down…” he glanced at Ryan, who nodded grimly. “As for the traitors… “ He wasn’t sure what to do about them. They were people he had trusted impeccably; people who knew everything about Burnie’s operations, about Geoff’s. 

“Let me deal with them.” Burnie’s gaze darted to Gavin, brows furrowing at the other man’s words. “No, listen; let them see what they’ve done. I might be injured, but I’m still me. I’m still the best person to send in to talk to them, to get information. That didn’t change just because I’ve been hurt, Burnie.” Burnie sighed, running a hand through his hair as he looked at Geoff. Gavin had a point; he was the best they had when it came to getting information without torture. And no matter what, until they had an explanation, he didn’t want to set Ryan loose on the two men. 

“Alright, but you have someone with you.” Geoff’s voice was firm, and Gavin nodded. Beside him, Ryan gave a nod, clearing his throat. 

“I’ll go in with him. That way he’s not only got backup, but he has me.” Michael rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest as he glared at Ryan. 

“I could go in with him.” He stated, and Ryan gave a little chuckle. “Don’t fucking laugh at me! I’m just as scary as the great Vagabond.” Geoff gave a groan, and Jack reached over to place a hand on Michael’s shoulder. 

“You’re just as scary, but we need a calm anger, Michael. And we all know that you’re better for when we need to scare someone into fucking up. You’re our go-to for that. You get a little too… emotionally charged when it comes to stuff like this.” Michael turned his glare to Jack, but the look lost heat after a moment and he gave a sigh. 

“I know. I’m just… I’m so pissed, Jack. Fuck.” Jack gave him a small smile, rubbing his shoulder lightly. Michael leaned towards him, placing his cheek on the older man’s shoulder with a small noise of disgruntlement as beside them Geoff sighed. 

“Alright. So Ryan and Gavin, you’re going to be on Caleb and Joel. I’m going to get a group together to deal with the Corpirate-”

“Me. I’m going in.” Dan’s voice cut through Geoff’s sentence, causing Geoff to shoot him a look. The other man had been silent the entire time they’d been talking; Geoff had almost forgotten that the other Brit was there. “I’m going in, and I’m taking Ray, Michael, Jack, Jeremy and one or two mercenaries.” His expression was hard, his tone firm; he left little room for argument. 

“Dan, I know you want to help. And I know you’re very good at your job. But what makes you think I’m going to turn this over to you and just let you do what you want?” Geoff shook his head, and Dan leant forward, fixing the older man with a look. 

“He hurt Gavin. No one hurts B and get’s to live. You know that. You had your chance to fix this when you rescued him. Now it’s time for me to do what I do best.” Geoff watched Dan a moment, taking in his serious look and flat tone. There was no arguing that Dan would move mountains for Gavin; the young mercenary was deadly when provoked, and nothing provoked him more than any harm coming to Gavin. Geoff had seen the man storm a building alone to find Gavin, and had no doubt that even if he tried to keep him from the group dealing with the Corpirate, he’d show up anyways. 

“Fine. It’s not going to do anything if i tell you not to anyways, so fine. But you do what I say, do you hear me? I’m in charge here. Not you.” There was a long moment between them before Dan nodded, shifting back in his seat. Geoff turned his attention back to Mica and Kdin, giving them an unreadable look for a moment. “I want the two of you to get Joel and Caleb back to home base. Put them in holding on the third floor, the new rooms. Joel’s already been in the ones on second and even if he’s turned himself in I’m not about to trust him. I want eyes and guards on them both.” Kdin nodded, and Geoff turned his attention to Burnie. “You might want to take a look at your crew. See if there are any other people we should worry about.” Burnie sighed, leaning back in his seat and crossing his arms over his chest. 

“Barbara and Lindsay have already done a sweep, but I have Tyler and Muriel doing another just in case. I’ll get you some more gun power if you need it too.” Geoff nodded, and the room fell quiet as the group of men let the information they’d been given sink in. There was silence for several minutes before Kdin cleared her throat, gathering up her bag. 

“We should really head back then, Burnie. Get the ball rolling and stuff.” Mica nodded, and Burnie moved to stand, giving a little stretch. 

“Yeah. I just… Gavin? Can I have a minute?” Gavin glanced over at him, giving a nod, and Burnie moved to help the younger man up. “We’ll talk in the kitchen. In private.” He glanced at the others, who nodded, and Mica gestured towards the door. 

“We’ll wait for you outside.” She stated, and Burnie gave her a nod before guiding Gavin into the kitchen, the door closing behind them.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it! The end! Thank you all for sticking with me on this ride, I hope you all enjoyed it! The next part of this, To Kill A King, won't be uploaded for about a week (I'm going to Anime North in Toronto- look for the Kings!au Gavin with Lady Mogar and the Mad Queen if you're going!) but I plan to upload another chapter of Domestic Bliss sometime before I leave. <3!

Sitting at the island, Burnie and Gavin sat in silence for a long moment before Burnie spoke, his hands folding on the counter in front of him. 

“How are you feeling? Geoff said there was a bit of a setback, that your fever got worse-” He glanced at the IV’s rolling rack, “-is the IV helping? Should I send Chris out here to take a look over you and make sure Caleb didn’t… I don’t know, poison the IVs or something?” Gavin gave a small chuckle, leaning on the counter as he rubbed at his eyes some. 

“No, I feel a bit better today than I did yesterday. I don’t think he did anything to the medications he gave me, Burnie… I just can’t see Caleb doing something like that.” He frowned some, and Burnie reached out to touch the younger man’s hand before lacing their fingers together. 

“Alright. I know how you feel; Caleb’s been nothing but loyal for years now. There has to be a reason that he’d suddenly do something like this. But I’m glad that you feel better. I was worried about you.” Gavin gave Burnie a smile, squeezing his hand lightly as Burnie rubbed his thumb over the back of Gavin’s hand. 

“I’m sorry the lot of you had to go through all that. I never once gave up hope that you’d all come for me though. Geoff told me that you were there too?” He couldn’t recall seeing Burnie with the group of men who had found him, and Geoff had mentioned that there had been a second group dealing with the Corpirate’s men. 

“Yeah, I was leading the secondary team. Needed to make sure the way back was cleared for you, baby boy.” Gavin’s smile grew some at the pet name; Burnie had called him that all through their marriage, and it had always made Gavin feel like he was special. 

“How are you holding up, Burnie? How’s things with Ashley?” Burnie chuckled some at the question, reaching to brush some hair from Gavin’s face before placing a hand on his cheek. 

“I’m doing good, Gav. Ashley’s been fantastic about all this; said she’ll come take you for a spa day once you’re on your feet again.” Gavin laughed at that, and Burnie’s smile grew as Gavin moved to stand, shakily making his way around the small island to wrap his arms around Burnie’s neck and pull him into a hug. 

“Tell her I’m completely alright with that. God… you know, I’m happy and I’m so happy that you’re happy but sometimes I miss you. We need to spend some more time together, Burnie.” Burnie wrapped his arms around Gavin, hugging him back as he shifted to take some of the smaller man’s weight to help keep him upright. 

“We will, Gav. And I have something I want to talk to you about, when you come back to the city. Once you’ve healed up some. Alright?” Gavin pulled back slightly, fixing Burnie with a curious look that the other man waved off with a smile. “Nothing bad. Just a… proposition, of sorts. But business can wait, because you need to get better and I need to get back to RT HQ to deal with this. Get things set up for when you get back.” Gavin nodded, and Burnie gave him one last hug before letting go. “Come on, Dan’s probably about to have a fit out there. God, I forgot how much he’s like a trained guard dog sometimes.” Gavin gave Burnie a swat, and Burnie held up his hands in surrender.

“Don’t be mean to Dan. He’s been through a lot and… we both worry about each other a lot. He’s actually going to move here to Los Santos so we can be closer… maybe you can hook him up with a place to stay while he gets settled?” Burnie nodded, a bit surprised at Gavin’s words. 

“I mean, sure, but I always thought Dan was against coming here to America?” Gavin gave a small shrug, turning to make his way to the kitchen door. 

“Well, he was, but he doesn’t want all this to happen again. Can’t be left out of the loop if he’s in it, right? Plus… we miss each other, Burnie. We’ve been a constant in each other’s lives for a long time. It’ll be nice to be together again. And it won’t hurt to have someone with his skills around, right?” Burnie couldn’t argue that- Dan was certainly talented at what he did, and having him around would be an asset. Burnie moved to follow Gavin out the door into the living room, both men pausing as they spotted the group surrounding the coffee table, staring at something set on it. Geoff looked up as Gavin started towards the couch, moving to help him sit as the younger man took in what was sat before him. Reaching for the item, he picked it up; holding up the open watch box, he took the broken watch out of it. He recognized the watch immediately; Geoff had given it to him when he first started working with the Fakes, and he had always worn it since. He’d been wearing it when he’d been captured by the Corpirate- the man had taken it from him during one of their torture sessions, and Gavin had thought he’d never see it again. Setting the watch down on the table, he took out the small rectangular piece of cardstock that had been under the watch, holding it up to read aloud. 

“Tick Tock. Time’s almost up Mr. Free. Ready to accept my offer yet?” He frowned, putting the note down to stare at the watch again. Geoff reached out to take Gavin’s hand with a frown, gaining Gavin’s attention. 

“What offer?” He asked, curious. Gavin cleared his throat, pushing the watch box away from him some. 

“He wanted me to join him. How did he find out where we are?” A frown pushed at the corner of Gavin’s lips as he fell back against the cushions of the couch, and beside him Geoff crossed his arms over his chest. 

“It was probably Caleb. You said he met up with Corpirate’s men after Gavin’s rescue, right? Corpirate was incredibly invested in getting Gavin to work for him. Like… none of us really understood why he wanted to grab you to begin with, Gavin. Just kept telling us that your talents were worth the effort, and that taking you would throw Ramsey off.” Jeremy’s words caused the group to look at him, and he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly as he cleared his throat. “I imagine that Caleb gave him the location of the safehouse or delivered the box himself. It didn’t show up until after he was here, right?” Geoff nodded, turning his gaze to the box for a moment. 

“Alright. I guess our vacation’s going to be cut a bit short then, because I don’t want this asshole to be able to pop up whenever he wants. We head back to the city in the morning.” There was a long silence as the others took in Geoff’s words, and it was Jack’s voice that broke the quiet. 

“Burnie, you and the others should head back first, make sure Lindsay still has eyes on Corpirate and that Caleb and Joel are detained. We’ll head back in the morning, meet up with you at the penthouse and decide on the teams then. Does that sound good?” Burnie gave a nod, and Jack flashed him a thumbs up.

“Alright, let’s head back you three. Jeremy, don’t forget to grab Caleb on your way back.” Jeremy gave a nod at Burnie’s words, and the four stood. “Gavin, remember what we talked about in the kitchen, about once you’re on your feet again. We’ll see you in the city.” The group waved goodbye to the four, watching as they left out the door. Michael reached to pick up the watch on the table, turning it over in his hands as he frowned at it, picking at the dried flakes of blood still on the back. 

“We’re going to kill this guy, right?” He glanced at Geoff, who nodded, before Ray reached to take the watch from him. 

“We’ll have to get you a new watch, Vav.” The sniper stated, wrinkling his nose at the smashed face of the time piece before dropping it back into the box. Gavin gave a nod, reaching to close the box and push it to the center of the table. 

“Once we finish this. If it’s alright with the lot of you, I think I might try to get some sleep in; I’m still a bit off from the medication and I’d like to sleep some of it off if I can.” Gavin tugged the blanket off the back of the couch, turning some to rest against Michael as he put his legs up some to tuck his feet under Ray. Ray snorted, reaching to pull his legs into his lap, and Michael wrapped an arm around him, leaning to place a kiss on his temple as he reached for the t.v remote. 

“We’ll chill here with you while you sleep, Gavvers. Everyone else can get to packing.” Jack rolled his eyes, throwing a pillow at Michael who made a noise of discontent as he caught it, tucking it under Gavin’s head. “Jack don’t throw pillows, rude.” Geoff chuckled some, shaking his head as he gestured for the other two Gents to go upstairs for them to pack, pausing to place a kiss on each Lad’s forehead before heading up himself. Gavin snuggled into the warmth provided by the two men he was snuggled between, letting his eyes close as he listened to Ray and Michael argue over what to watch. He let out a slow, even breath, letting the tiredness that had been at the edge of his mind take over as he settled into sleep, almost eager to get back to the city. 

Tomorrow was another day. A day of dealing with traitors. A day of revenge.


End file.
